UC-NRLF 

III 

B   M   3ET   b3fl 


^SSj^^^^^OB^SSffSG^ 


RELIEF  OF  PAIN 

BY  MENTAL  SUGGESTION 
LORINGW  BATTEN 


'i^SiSSi&SS^S/SSt^^SSSSSSSSSSSSi 


J 


The  Relief  of  Pain 
BY  Mental  Suggestion 


THE  RELIEF  OF  PAIN 

BY  MENTAL  SUGGESTION 

A  Study   of  the   Moral   and 
Religious  Forces  in   Healing 


BY 
LORING  W.  BATTEN,  A.B.,  Ph.D.,  S.T.D. 


NEW  YORK 
MOFFAT,    YARD  AND  COMPANY 

1917 


I\  ^T*-"-' 


B3 


ubrar: 


Copyright,  1917,  bt 

MOFFAT.  YARD  &  COMPANY 

Published,  March,  1911 


PEEFACE 

Some  nine  years  ago  I  became  interested  in 
the  ministrations  to  nervous  suiiferers  inaug- 
urated by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Worcester,  generally 
called  the  Emmanuel  Movement  from  the  name 
of  the  parish  of  which  he  was  the  rector.  I  was 
convinced  that  the  Emmanuel  principles  and 
methods  were  sound,  that  the  Church  could 
fulfill  its  true  mission  to  suffering  humanity, 
and  that  such  help  should  be  given  in  New  York 
as  well  as  in  Boston. 

At  that  time  I  was  rector  of  an  old  down-town 
parish  in  New  York,  whose  condition  was  such 
that  in  my  opinion  it  could  not  hope  to  justify 
its  existence  and  its  cost  by  work  along  tradi- 
tional lines.  It  seemed  to  me  that  God  opened 
an  unusual  field  of  useful  and  proper  activity 
fcr  the  energy  of  the  Church  and  its  priests, 
and  I  therefore  started  what  we  called  the 
Healing  Mission.  We  held  a  service  in  the 
Church  every  Sunday  night  designed  to  afford 


3^^?  1 37 


Preface 

a  moral  and  religious  support  not  for  the  whole 
but  for  the  sick.  I  was  able  to  secure  the 
willing  cooperation  of  a  number  of  leading 
physicians,  and  for  three  years  we  carried  on 
the  good  work  on  a  very  large  scale.  Since  I 
left  the  parish,  I  have  personally  seen  a  consid- 
erable number  of  cases,  as  many  as  my  limited 
time  would  permit,  a  limit  which  tends  to  be- 
come more  restricted  as  the  years  roll  on. 

In  these  nine  years  I  have  seen  many  hun- 
dreds of  people  suffering  from  the  various 
nervous  afflictions,  and  I  have  read  a  great 
many  books  and  other  publications  dealing  with 
the  subject  of  psychotherapy.  When  I  was 
honored  with  the  invitation  to  deliver  the 
Bohlen  Lectures  I  determined  to  put  into  them 
the  results  of  my  years  of  experience  and  study. 
Naturally  a  treatise  like  this  does  not  include 
everything  that  might  be  said ;  yet  I  have  aimed 
at  a  comprehensive  and  popular  treatment  of 
the  essentials  of  the  great  subject. 

I  suppose  it  would  be  quite  usual  to  say  that 
my  work  is  not  intended  for  those  who  are  al- 
ready familiar  with  the  subject.  It  is  at  all 
events  true  that  I  have  not  attempted  to  put 


Preface 

forth  any  novel  theories,  but  to  content  myself 
with  the  principles  that  have  been  well  tested 
and  proved  to  be  good.  All  I  can  do  further 
is  to  express  the  hope  that  all  who  read  this 
book  may  find  some  profit  thereby. 

I  offer  due  apologies  to  the  patients  whose 
stories  have  been  used  for  illustration.  The 
disclosures  made  to  me  have  always  been  sa- 
credly confidential;  but  put  in  a  strictly  im- 
personal way  I  am  sure  that  no  one  of  my 
friends  would  interpose  an  objection  to  the  use 
of  their  experience  as  an  aid  in  the  relief  of  the 
woes  of  others.  I  have  said  "my  friends." 
One  of  the  richest  rewards  of  a  work  that  has 
often  taxed  body  and  soul  to  the  utmost  is  the 
fact  that  some  of  the  best  friends  I  have  in  the 
world  I  first  met  when  they  came  to  me  for  the 
relief  of  pain. 

L.  W.  Batten. 

General  Theological  Seminary,  New  York. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

Hearing  the  Cry  op  Pain 11 

The  Character  of  the  Diseases 13 

Gradual  Recoveries 18 

Mass  Treatment  and  Absent  Treatment  ....  20 

Tell  No  Man 22 

DLiGNOSIS 23 

The  Methods  Employed 25 

The  Necessity  of  Faith 31 

A.  Supplementary  Notes 39 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Extension  of  the  Healing  Mission  ....  52 

Methods  of  the  Disciples 55 

Classification  of  Diseases 58 

The  Responsibility  of  the  Church 60 

The  Suffering  in  Nervous  Diseases 64 

Contrasted  Mistakes        67 

The  Influence  of  the  Mind  upon  the  Body  ...  70 

The  Cause  or  Insomnia 78 

Hay  Fever 82 

Psychic  Production  op  Other  Ailments   ....  84 


Contents 
chapter  iii 

PAGE 

Functional  Mental  Disorders 89 

Some  of  the  Symptoms 92 

Suggestion 97 

A.  Suggestion  and  the  Healing  of  Jesus   .     .     .  103 

B.  Cures  by  Suggestion 108 

C.  Suggestion  and  Absent  Treatment  .     .     .     .110 
ylD.  Suggestion  and  Hypnoptism 114 

E.  The  Broad  Field  foe  Suggestion      ....  118 

F.  The  Moral  and  Religious  Forces      ....  120 

CHAPTER  IV 

Psychotherapy  in  Organic  Disease 123 

The  Therapeutic  Value  op  Prayer 127 

Psychoanalysis 131 

A.  Fear  of  Thunder  Storms 133 

B.  Comprehension  op  Phobias 140 

C.  Sleep  Walking  and  Dreams 142 

D.  The  Sexual  Element 148 

Normal  Development  and  Self-Help 149 

Qualifications  of  the  Healer 152 

The  John  Bohlen  Lectureship 155 


The  Relief  of  Pain 
BY  Mental  Suggestion 


THE  RELIEF  OF  PAIN  BY 
MENTAL   SUGGESTION 

CHAPTER  I 
Bearing  the  Cry  of  Pain 

FOR  a  dozen  years  it  was  my  lot  to  live  in 
one  of  the  noisiest  parts  of  a  city  which 
has  never  been  notable  as  a  place  for  quiet  and 
repose.  At  all  hours  of  the  night  and  of  the  day 
incessant  and  discordant  cries  were  heard,  until 
one's  senses  became  dull  and  one's  attention 
unresponsive.  But  late  one  night  I  was  awak- 
ened from  a  sound  sleep  by  a  faint,  long-drawn 
cry  of  "help."  At  first  I  dismissed  it  as  one 
of  the  common  imitative  plaints  with  which  I 
had  become  so  famiUar.  Several  repetitions 
made  the  call  sink  deeper  into  my  slowly  re- 
turning consciousness,  and  presently  it  became 
clear  that  the  cry  was  the  genuine  wail  of  some 
one  in  distress,  and  I  arose  at  once  to  summon 
11 


Thf  Relief  of  Pain 

the  help  appropriate  to  what  proved  to  be  the 
sadly  bruised  and  broken  body  of  a  man  who 
had  fallen  or  thrown  himself  from  a  high 
window. 

The  sons  of  Israel  belong  to  a  race  whose 
emotions  a^e  in  the  main  weU  controlled,  but 
when  uncurbed  they  break  out  with  great 
violence.  Among  these  people  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  artificial  and  conventional  wailing,  but 
there  have  been  also  at  all  times  in  their  history 
conditions  which  gave  rise  to  cries  which  were 
the  result  of  a  very  real  distress. 

Nineteen  hundred  years  ago  these  people 
were  ignorant  of  the  simplest  rudiments  of  the 
laws  of  health,  and,  while  there  were  physicians, 
the  science  of  medicine  was  for  all  practical 
purposes  nonexistent.  The  result  was  a  vast 
amount  of  all  kinds  of  diseases  which  there  was 
no  agency  to  combat.  Leprosy,  for  example, 
was  one  of  the  worst  scourges ;  it  was  known  to 
be  a  contagious  disease,  but  all  that  could  be 
done  was  to  banish  the  sufferer  to  the  wilder- 
ness so  that  he  must  drag  out  his  miserable 
existence  until  the  loathsome  disease  had  done 
its  slow  work  and  death  released  the  victim. 
12 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

His  plaintive  cries  were  often  heard  on  the 
boundaries  of  his  pale,  but  no  one  could  give 
him  relief  other  than  to  dole  out  a  morsel  of 
food  to  keep  down  at  least  the  pangs  of  hunger. 
Then  one  day  there  came  from  Nazareth  a 
man  whose  ear  was  quick  to  detect  the  genuine 
cry  of  distress,  and  who,  because  his  being  was 
divine  and  his  earthly  existence  an  expression 
of  the  love  of  God,  gave  himself  above  all  else 
to  the  task  of  relieving  the  world's  pain. 
Man's  pain  then  as  now  was  spiritual  and  men- 
tal as  well  as  physical,  and  our  blessed  Lord 
held  out  a  helping  hand  to  every  form  of  dis- 
tress ;  but  that  which  alone  concerns  us  here  is 
his  ministry  to  those  who  were  suffering  from 
various  forms  of  disease.  There  is  no  record 
of  a  case  to  whom  he  ultimately  refused  succor, 
nor  of  one  in  which  his  ministrations  failed. 

The  Character  of  the  Diseases 

The  gospels  record  some  details  of  our  Lord's 

healing  in  twenty-one  cases ;  *  though  there  are 

several  instances  in  which  we  have  the  general 

statement  of  his  curing  multitudes  of  sick  who 

^  Or  twenty-two,  if  we  include  the  restoration  of  Mal- 
ehus'  ear. 

13 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

a  conjecture  could  be  made     fZ       T  ""'^ 

s.-f^o  ^<>         ,.    .  betray  unmistakable 

ir;'  "  '•^'"''"'  ''"•«™''  "'■"'"='«■    There 

been  afflicted  from  early  cbildhood 

are  siit ''  '1"  '"'°'"'  """  ^'^  '»»  -  tbev 


14 


-,  21 : 
;  15. 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

scriptive  terms  differ,  but  the  conditions  are  the 
same.  This  is  shown  from  the  cases  of  so- 
called  demoniacal  possession.  The  term  is  not 
applied  indiscriminately  to  any  form  of  disease, 
but  only  to  those  in  which  the  patient's  actions 
are  such  as  would  be  impossible  under  his  own 
volition.  Thus  the  ancients  explained  a  case  of 
dumbness  or  perhaps  the  common  infirmity  of 
stammering.  The  fact  was  recognized  that  the 
man  had  normal  organs  of  speech,  and  yet  they 
were  not  under  the  control  of  his  will.  It  was 
inferred  that  an  evil  spirit  had  entered  into  the 
man  and  showed  his  presence  by  interfering 
with  the  function  of  speech  (Mt.  9:  32  ff.).  Or 
we  may  take  a  more  severe  case  of  the  demoniac 
whom  nine  of  the  disciples  tried  in  vain  to  heal. 
This  sufferer  was  afflicted  with  violent  comiil- 
sions  and  had  often  attempted  suicide  by  throw- 
ing himself  into  the  water  to  drown  or  even 
into  the  fire  to  burn  (Mt.  17 :  14  ff. ;  Mk.  9 :  14 
ff. ;  Lu.  9 :  37  ff.).  It  was  deemed  inconceivable 
that  any  person  should  act  thus  of  his  own  ac- 
cord, and  the  presence  of  a  controlling  evil 
spirit  is  assumed.  Centuries  before  this  time, 
when  ICing  Saul  became  gloomy  and  depressed 
15 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

and  showed  a  homicidal  mania,  his  condition 
was  attributed  to  the  control  of  an  evil  spirit 
from  the  Lord  (1  Sam.  16: 14). 

This  Bible  theory  of  disease  may  not  seem  in 
this  age  to  be  very  scientific,  but  it  is  a  distinct 
advance  on  the  modern  attitude  in  that  it  has 
the  great  virtue  of  charity.  To-day  there  are 
thousands  of  people  suffering  from  those  same 
ailments,  and  they  are  forever  told  by  their 
well-meaning  friends,  and  too  often  by  their 
uncomprehending  physicians,  that  their  wills 
are  weak,  that  they  give  way  too  much,  that  they 
should  assert  themselves,  that  the  cure  is  in 
their  own  power.  The  ancients  more  kindly, 
and  really  more  understandingly,  attributed 
their  woes  to  the  presence  of  a  force  beyond  the 
sufferer's  power  to  combat.  No  wonder  that 
afflicted  souls,  beaten  and  discouraged  from 
many  failures,  sometimes  now  seek  refuge  in 
the  old  theory  and  settle  down  to  a  firm  convic- 
tion that  they  too  are  possessed  with  devils ;  or 
that,  having  fought  in  vain  for  many  years,  they 
at  last  seek  refuge  in  the  fire  or  water  or  their 
modern  equivalents. 

The  fact  is  that  to  a  degree  we  are  all  victims 
16 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

of  this  phenomenon  so  kindly  explained  by  the 
ancients,  especially  in  the  more  distinctly  moral 
realm ;  for  alas !  it  happens  only  too  often  that 
our  actions  and  our  wills  are  not  in  harmony; 
and  that  not  because  our  wills  are  wrong,  but 
because  they  are  unable  to  control  our  deeds; 
and  not  necessarily  because  our  wills  are  weak, 
but  because  of  some  mysterious  force  in  us 
which  baffles  our  most  heroic  efforts  at  subju- 
gation. St.  Paul  recognized  the  condition  and 
described  it  with  wonderful  clearness  and  brev- 
ity, in  a  marvelous  piece  of  self-analysis:  ''but 
if  what  I  would  not,  that  I  do,  it  is  no  more  I 
that  do  it,  but  sin  which  dwelleth  in  me"  (Rom. 
7:20).  The  term  sin  is  the  precise  equivalent 
in  the  moral  sphere  of  the  evil  spirit  in  the 
pathological  sphere.  Moreover,  to-day  psycho- 
pathologists  recognize  the  fact  that  in  many 
cases  of  so-called  nervous  diseases  the  patient's 
acts  are  the  result  of  a  subconscious  compulsion 
with  which  the  normal  will  is  scarcely  able  to 
grapple.  What  is  needed  is  not  to  reproach  the 
sufferer  with  the  charge  that  he  is  weak  but  to 
cast  out  the  devil,  and  that  was  precisely  the 
kindly  procedure  of  our  Lord. 
17 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

Gradual  Recoveries 

It  appears  from  the  meager  evidence  we  have 
of  our  Lord's  healing  that  in  many  cases  the 
relief  was  immediate,  but  it  was  not  always  so. 
It  is  clear  that  sometimes  even  the  Son  of  God 
had  to  labor  persistently  with  stubborn  human 
maladies,  even  as  Elisha  toiled  to  the  point  of 
repeated  exhaustion  over  the  case  of  sunstroke 
(2  Ki.  4).  An  interesting  illustration  of  the 
gradual  cure  is  that  of  the  blind  man  brought  to 
Jesus  at  Bethsaida  (Mk.  8:22-26).  When  the 
sightless  eyes  were  first  anointed,  Jesus  asked 
the  patient  if  he  could  see  at  all,  and  the  reply 
was  that  he  could  see  forms  which  suggested 
trees,  but  as  they  were  moving  he  inferred  that 
they  were  men;  that  is,  there  was  some  power 
of  vision,  but  it  was  blurred  and  indistinct. 
Then  after  Jesus  again  placed  his  hands  on  the 
weak  eyes,  possibly  keeping  them  there  for  some 
minutes,  and  the  sufferer  made  a  concentrated 
effort,  an  important  note  in  the  cure,  and  the 
obvious  meaning  of  the  statement  that  he 
"looked  steadfastly,"  the  cure  was  complete.^ 

^  Some  of  the  commentators  say  that  this  is  the  only  case 

in  which  the  healing  was  gradual.    It  will  appear  from  the 

18 


By  IklENTAL  Suggestion 

Another  case  is  that  of  the  ten  lepers  to 
whom,  when  they  appealed  for  help,  Jesus  gave 
the  command,  "Go  show  yourselves  to  the 
priests"  (Luke  17:14).  Each  of  the  men  was 
required  to  return  to  his  home  town,  a  different 
goal  for  each  one ;  and  to  present  himself  to  the 
priest  of  his  native  village ;  for  it  was  the  priest 
alone  who  had  authority  to  pronounce  a  leper 
cured  and  to  release  him  from  his  exile.  The 
discharge  was  equivalent  to  a  release  from 
quarantine.  We  are  told  that  while  they  were 
on  their  journey,  the  disease  disappeared.  It 
is  true  that  the  words  will  admit  of  the  inter- 
pretation that  the  cure  came  quickly,  but  on  the 
other  hand  it  is  perfectly  possible,  and  I  think 
highly  probable,  that  some  hours  elapsed  before 
the  leprous  sores  were  healed,  for  some  of  them 
may  have  been  far  from  their  homes. 

Again  sometimes  the  cure  seems  to  have  been 

other  eases  cited  that  this  is  not  true.  The  exeget«s  have 
tended  to  interpret  the  passages  in  an  apologetic  interest, 
and  therefore  emphasize  what  appears  to  be  miraculous. 
The  real  truth  is  that  the  wonder  is  in  the  fact  of  the  cure, 
not  in  the  shortness  of  time  in  which  it  is  effected.  Others 
like  Weiss,  desiring  to  eliminate  the  miraculous,  contend 
that  all  of  our  Lord's  cures  were  brought  about  gradually. 
This  conclusion  is  at  variance  with  many  plain  statements 
in  the  gospels. 

19 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

immediate,  but  the  means  employed  were  such 
that  some  space  of  time  was  consumed  in  the 
application.  Thus  in  the  case  of  the  man  suf- 
fering from  congenital  blindness,  our  Lord 
placed  on  the  sufferer's  eyes  a  poultice  of  clay 
and  spittle,  and  bade  him  go  to  the  pool  of  Si- 
loam,  and  it  was  only  after  he  had  washed  off 
the  ointment  in  the  pool  that  his  sight  was  re- 
stored (Jn.  9:1-7). 

Mass  Treatment  and  Absent  Treatment 
In  the  healing  ministry  of  our  blessed  Lord 
we  notice  further  the  phenomenon  of  mass 
treatment,  though  it  seems  to  be  exceptional; 
how  exceptional  we  may  infer  from  St.  Luke's 
statement:  "And  when  the  sun  was  setting, 
all  they  that  had  any  sick  with  divers  diseases 
brought  them  unto  him;  and  he  laid  his  hands 
on  every  one  of  them  [individually]  and  healed 
them"  (4:  40).  Nevertheless  in  the  case  of  the 
ten  lepers  cited  above  a  single  healing  command 
was  addressed  to  the  whole  body  and  it  was  ef- 
fective for  each  one.  Similarly  in  the  case 
made  famous  some  years  ago  by  the  discussion 
between  Wace  and  Huxley,  if  we  accept  St. 
20 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

Matthew's  version,  there  were  two  violently 
insane  men  cured  by  the  one  word  giving  per- 
mission to  the  devils  to  enter  into  the  herd  of 
swine  (Mt.  8 :  28) .  It  is  only  fair  to  note  though 
that  according  to  Mark  5 : 2  and  Luke  8 :  27 
there  was  but  one  aflflicted  person.  One  in- 
stance, however,  suffices  to  establish  the  point. 
In  the  vast  majority  of  cases  the  afflicted  were 
present  when  the  healing  was  brought  about. 
Even  those  too  ill  to  walk  to  the  great  physician 
were  carried  into  his  presence  by  faithful  and 
devoted  friends,  and  sometimes  he  was  taken  to 
the  bedside  of  the  sufferer.  It  was  certainly 
generally  assumed  that  our  Lord's  power  to 
heal  was  limited  to  the  range  of  his  personal 
presence;  the  sister  of  Lazarus  expresses  this 
common  belief  when  she  laments  to  the  Master, 
"Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died"  (Jn.  11:  21).  Nevertheless  there  are 
three  well-known  instances  in  which  we  have 
what  may  be  called  absent  treatment,  greatly  as 
the  method  of  such  healing  differs  from  that  of 
those  who  practice  that  procedure  to-day. 
These  are  the  nobleman's  son,  in  which  the  peti- 
tioner asked  Jesus  to  come  to  the  bedside  of  his 
21 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

critically  sick  son,  but  who  was  persuaded  to  re- 
turn with  the  assurance  that  his  boy  would 
recover  (Jn.  4: 46  ff.).  There  is  the  case  of  the 
beloved  servant  of  the  centurion,  likewise  at  the 
point  of  death ;  in  which  case,  however,  the  peti- 
tioner himself  showed  his  faith  by  insisting  that 
Jesus  need  only  speak  the  healing  word  (Mt. 
8:5-13;  Lu.  7: 1-10). ^  Finally,  there  is  the 
daughter  of  the  Syro-Phcenician  woman,  where 
our  Lord  was  finally  persuaded  to  pronounce  a 
cure,  though  the  sufferer  was  far  away  (Mt. 
15 :  21-28 ;  Mk.  7 :  24-30).  At  this  point  I  content 
myself  with  calling  attention  to  the  facts,  but 
at  a  later  stage  the  subject  of  absent  treatment 
must  receive  due  consideration. 

Tell  No  Man 
There  is  an  interesting  feature  of  our  Lord's 
healing  in  which  it  differs  radically  from  that 
of  any  class  engaged  in  therapeutic  work  to-day, 
and  that  is  his  frequent  insistence  upon  secrecy. 
Several  times  we  are  told  that  he  charged  the 
relieved  sufferer  to  tell  no  one  of  the  source 

1  The  three  accounts  differ  in  many  points ;  see  notes  on 
case  8  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 

22 


By  IMental  Suggestion 

whence  his  good  fortune  had  come.  And  in  the 
case  of  the  blind  man  at  Bethsaida,  Jesus  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  awaj'  from  the  vil- 
lage before  attempting  any  curative  measures 
(Mk,  8:  23),  The  object  is  apparently  privacy, 
though  it  may  be  that,  recognizing  the  serious- 
ness of  the  disease,  the  journey  was  designed  as 
a  measure  with  a  therapeutic  aim.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  appears  that  at  times  Jesus  in- 
vited pitiless  publicity  to  the  healing.  This  is 
noticeably  so  in  the  case  of  the  man  with  the 
paralyzed  arm  who  was  healed  in  the  synagogue 
on  the  Sabbath  day  (Mt.  12:9-14;  Mk.  3:1-6; 
Lu.  6:  6-11).  Here  again,  however,  such  a  pro- 
cedure as  asking  the  man  to  stand  up  in  the 
presence  of  the  congregation  while  the  justifi- 
cation for  healing  on  the  Sabbath  was  made  is 
susceptible  of  the  explanation  that  the  delay  and 
the  focusing  of  attention  had  a  therapeutic  aim. 

Diagnosis 
It  is  apparent  that  our  Lord  took  into  consid- 
eration the  characteristics  of  the  malady  that  he 
undertook  to  relieve.     Hence  the  ridicule   of 
Christian  Scientists  upon  any  attempt  at  diag- 
23 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

nosis  finds  no  warrant  in  the  experience  of  the 
great  Physician.  It  is  true  that  the  evangelists 
have  recorded  but  meager  accounts  of  the  cures, 
but  it  is  significant  that  Jesus  used  different 
remedies  for  what  appear  to  be  identical  com- 
plaints. Fortunately,  we  are  not  left  to  infer- 
ence, for  we  have  a  scrap  of  precious  informa- 
tion about  the  demoniac  who  was  brought  to  be 
healed  while  Jesus  was  on  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration. To  two  of  the  evangelists  who  told 
the  story  this  bit  was  so  seemingly  unimportant 
that  they  have  left  it  out  of  their  record,  but 
fortunately  St.  Mark  has  saved  the  significant 
detail  (9:21).  From  the  fact  that  nine  of  his 
disciples,  who  had  become  quite  experienced  in 
healing  such  cases,  were  unable  to  relieve  the 
man's  pain,  as  well  as  from  the  father's  de- 
scription and  the  symptoms  shown  at  the  time, 
it  is  plain  that  the  disease  was  of  unusual  sever- 
ity. Now  the  one  question  which  Jesus  asked 
the  father,  and  the  question  has  no  parallel  in 
the  gospels,  was,  "How  long  is  it  ago  since  this 
came  unto  him?"  And  the  father  replied,  "Of 
a  child,"  showing  that  it  was  a  long-standing 
case  and  had  begun  early  in  life.  Even  though 
24 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

we  are  not  informed  as  to  the  patient's  present 
age,  it  is  plain  that  the  disease  was  chronic,  and 
any  physician  has  learned  the  obstinacy  of  those 
long-continued  cases. 

The  Methods  Employed 

We  turn  now  to  consider  the  means  employed 
by  our  Lord  in  his  mission  of  relieving  the 
world's  pain.  First,  that  it  shall  not  even  seem 
to  be  ignored,  I  cite  his  own  explanation  of  the 
agency  by  which  he  cast  out  devils,  that  it  was 
"by  the  finger  of  God"  (Lu.  11:20)^  or  "by 
the  spirit  of  God"  in  St.  Matthew's  version 
(12:  28).  The  expression  does  happily  empha- 
size the  religious  element  in  healing.  It  cannot 
be  doubted  that  this  life-giving  and  life-renew- 
ing spirit  of  God  is  the  ultimate  source  of  all 
healing.    But  the  problem  of  all  therapeutists 

*  The  expression  cannot,  of  course,  be  understood  in  a 
literal  sense,  for  God  naturally  does  not  have  fingers.  The 
phrase  is  used  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  to  denote  the  power 
of  God  or  the  agency  of  God.  Thus  when  the  Egyptian 
magicians  failed  to  produce  lice  as  Aaron  had,  they  said, 
"This  is  the  finger  of  God"  (Ex.  8:  19),  indicating  a  reve- 
lation of  superhuman  power.  The  two  tables  of  the  testi- 
mony were  said  to  have  been  written  by  "the  finger  of  God" 
(Ex.  31:  IS;  Deut.  9:  10),  to  mark  the  great  authority  of 
the  law  written  upon  the  tables.  The  heavens  are  declared 
to  be  the  work  of  God's  fingers  (Ps.  8:  3). 

25 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

is  to  find  the  means  by  which  this  great  power 
can  be  made  effective.  Somewhere  in  this  city 
there  are  mighty  dynamos  generating  electricity 
sufficient  to  furnish  light  for  every  house,  but  it 
will  be  useless  to  any  one  who  has  not  proper 
connections  and  lamps  at  the  end  of  the  wires. 

It  was  the  usual  custom  of  our  Lord,  except 
in  cases  of  demoniacal  possession  and  perhaps 
in  leprosy,  to  touch  the  sufferer,  or  to  lay  his 
hands  upon  him.  There  are  a  few  cases  in 
which  we  have  the  specific  information  that  he 
touched  the  seat  of  the  disorder,  putting  his 
fingers  into  the  deaf  ears,  upon  the  stammering 
or  speechless  tongue,  and  upon  the  visionless 
eyes.  We  recall  St.  Luke's  statement,  already 
quoted,  that  when  vast  numbers  of  sick  were 
brought  to  him,  "he  laid  his  hands  upon  every 
one  of  them  and  healed  them"  (4:  40).  In  deal- 
ing with  the  severe  demoniacal  case  which  so 
puzzled  his  disciples,  he  first  commanded  the  un- 
clean spirit  to  come  out  of  the  tormented  per- 
son, and  when  the  convulsions  ended  in  a  state 
of  prostration  so  extreme  that  the  bystanders 
believed  the  man  dead,  Jesus  then  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  raised  him  up  alive  and  well. 
26 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

Does  this  mean  that  when  Jesus  touched  the 
patient  some  mysterious  power  was  transmitted 
from  his  sound  and  whole  life  to  the  diseased 
life  of  the  sick?  The  question  is  important,  for 
there  are  many  people  to-day  who  believe  they 
have  some  peculiar  healing  power,  and  that  they 
can  transmit  vital  force  to  the  sick  sufficient  to 
restore  them  to  health.  The  idea  seems  to  un- 
derlie the  question  so  often  asked  of  the  modern 
psychotherapeutist,  "Does  not  this  work  take 
a  lot  out  of  you?"  There  is  a  wide  belief  that 
the  healer  can  cure  only  by  giving  out  some 
power  from  himself. 

There  is  an  incident  in  our  Lord's  ministry 
to  the  sick  which  seems  to  give  color  to  the 
theory  that  some  power  was  directly  trans- 
ferred from  him  to  the  sufferer.  I  refer  to  the 
woman  with  an  internal  hemorrhage  who  suc- 
ceeded in  touching  the  hem  of  his  garment,  and 
the  flow  of  blood  was  healed  (Mt.  9:  20  if. ;  Mk. 
5 :  25  ff. ;  Lu.  8 :  43  ff . ) .  It  is  true  that  the  gos- 
pel versions  of  the  story  differ  greatly,  as  more 
fully  set  forth  in  my  notes,*  but  in  both  St. 
Mark  and  St.  Luke  the  statement  is  made  that 

'  See  on  ease  No.  11  at  end  of  this  chapter. 
27 


The  Belief  of  Pain 

virtue  or  power  or  force  had  gone  out  of  Jesus 
at  the  moment  of  the  woman's  touch,  and  it  may- 
be added  that  in  St.  Luke's  account  Jesus  him- 
self says,  "I  perceived  that  power  had  gone 
forth  from  me." 

It  is  a  simple  interpretation  of  these  words 
that  the  reference  is  to  such  a  subtle  healing 
force  as  I  have  spoken  of  above,  but  it  is  not  the 
only  interpretation.  For  it  may  easily  be  that 
what  Jesus  did  perceive,  and  what  one  so  sensi- 
tive to  the  cry  of  pain  could  hardly  help  per- 
ceiving, was  that  among  all  the  jostling  inci- 
dental to  the  curious  throng  pressing  upon  him 
from  all  sides,  there  was  one  touch  different 
from  all  the  others  in  that  it  was  the  urgent 
appeal  for  help  from  one  in  great  distress ;  and 
it  may  easily  be  that  Jesus  heard  the  woman's 
remark,  "If  I  may  but  touch  his  clothes,  I  shall 
be  whole,"  a  remark  which  only  St.  Matthew 
qualifies  by  adding  "within  herself."  That  the 
transmission  of  therapeutic  energy  is  not  the 
right  idea  is  pretty  clear,  however,  from  the  fact 
that  according  to  St.  Mark  (5:34),  the  healing 
was  not  complete  until  after  Jesus  had  discov- 
ered the  one  who  had  touched  him  and  uttered 
28 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

the  healing  message.  Further  we  must  notice 
that  in  all  three  gospels  our  Lord  says  to  the 
woman,  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole,"  a 
statement  precluding  the  idea  that  any  subtle 
essence  emanated  from  him. 

The  second  method  of  Jesus  was  the  employ- 
ment of  a  spoken  word.  In  many  cases  there  is 
no  record  of  any  other  therapeutic  measure, 
though  it  frequently  is  employed  in  connection 
with  the  manual  touch,  a  striking  instance  of 
which  is  that  ia  which  he  put  his  fingers  into 
the  ears  of  a  deaf  mute  and  touched  his  tongue, 
and  looking  to  heaven  said,  " E phphatJia,  be 
opened"  (Mk.  7:33  ff.).  In  the  case  of  lepers 
the  spoken  word  was  the  only  means  that  could 
properly  be  employed,  for  contact  between  the 
leprous  and  the  well  was  strictly  forbidden,  and 
our  Lord  was  never  a  lawbreaker  save  when 
there  was  a  conflict  between  the  laws  of  man  and 
of  God.^  As  already  indicated,  a  command  for 
the  dpvil  to  come  out  was  the  almost  invariable 

^  There  is  one  ease  in  which  Jesus  is  said  to  have  touched 
a  leper  (Mt.  8:3;  Mk.  1:41;  Ln.  5:13).  It  is  possible 
that  Jesus  did  this  doliberately  to  show  his  great  compas- 
sion and  his  beautiful  fearlessness.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
possible  that  the  report  of  the  touching:  is  an  error.  The 
disciples  would  not  be  very  critical  in  such  a  matter. 
29 


The  Relief  or  Pain 

means  of  cure  in  the  cases  of  demoniacal  pos- 
session. From  tlie  theory  of  these  diseases  that 
was  the  most  natural  method  to  pursue,  and  it 
may  be  added  that  to  the  sufferer  who  held  that 
theory  of  his  malady  such  a  command  made  a 
potent  appeal.  Just  so  to  one  weary  with  a 
gross  materialism,  the  sweeping  assertion  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  disease  comes  with 
great  force. 

Again,  our  Lord  sometimes  employs  a  decid- 
edly material  agency.  The  recorded  cases  are 
few,  but  they  are  enough  fortunately  to  forever 
confound  the  devotees  of  a  modern  cult  who  in 
the  same  breath  appeal  to  the  authority  of  the 
Scriptures  and  absolutely  condemn  the  use  of 
any  kind  of  drug  whatsoever. 

I  have  already  cited  the  use  of  clay  ointment 
upon  the  eyes  of  a  blind  man  (page  20).  There 
are  other  cases  in  which  spit  was  placed  upon 
the  tongue  of  a  stammerer  (Mk.  7:33),  and 
upon  the  eyes  of  a  blind  man  {ihid.,  8:  23).  In 
each  instance  saliva  is  the  essential  element. 
Naturally  this  substance  has  no  therapeutic 
value,  but  among  the  ancient  Semites  it  was  sup- 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

posed  to  possess  real  or  magic  power.^  Our 
Lord  seems  to  reenforce  liis  appeal  by  an  agent 
whose  employment  would  at  least  make  a  good 
impression  upon  the  sufferer.  Or  it  may  be 
that  this  agent  was  called  upon  merely  because 
it  was  immediately  available. 

The  Necessity  of  Faith 
Our  Lord,  however,  does  not  attribute  his 
healing  power  to  the  touch  of  his  hand,  to  the 
word  from  his  lips,  or  to  the  spittle  from  his 
mouth,  but  to  the  purely  moral  force  of  faith. 
If  I  may  use  a  term  which  has  been  degraded 
by  unhallowed  use,  he  was  a  faith  healer.  How- 
ever freely  he  used  material  agencies,  what  he 
really  relied  upon  to  make  the  sick  whole  was 
faith. 

The  healing  faith  is  usually  required  in  the 
person  who  seeks  relief.  Again  and  again  our 
Lord  says  to  the  one  who  has  been  healed,  "Thy 
faith  hath  wrought  thy  cure."  In  some  cases, 
he  seeks  to  awaken  an  adequate  faith  before  at- 
tempting any  measure  of  relief,  for  thus  must 

1  See  article  Sorcery,  in  Hastings'  Dictionary  of  the  Bible. 

31 


The  Relief  of  Paiist 

we  explain  the  meaning  of  his  question  to  the 
blind  man,  "Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do 
this?"  (Mt.  9:28);  for  without  faith  he  de- 
clared himself  to  be  powerless.  So  we  are  told 
that  he  did  not  many  mighty  works  in  his  own 
home  district  because  of  the  unbelief  of  the  peo- 
ple (Mt.  13 :  58).  It  is  interesting  to  note,  how- 
ever, that  in  the  parallel  passage  in  St.  Mark 
an  exception  is  made  in  that  Jesus  ''laid  his 
hands  upon  a  few  sick  folk  and  healed  them" 
(6:5).  It  is  ever  so:  they  that  are  whole,  or 
think  they  are  whole,  need  not  a  physician. 
As  long  as  a  person  is  strong  and  well,  he  may 
be  as  skeptical  as  he  pleases;  but  let  him  be 
gripped  with  pain  and  it  is  easy  to  believe  that 
there  is  some  power  to  heal.  The  crying  need 
of  help  stimulates  faith  in  its  possibility.  In 
the  face  of  death  and  destruction  ravaging  the 
nations  of  Europe,  there  is  a  marked  tendency 
to  turn  to  God.  In  their  dire  straits  the  people 
come  to  believe  in  an  infinite  and  beneficent 
power. 

Again,  the  faith  which  heals  may  be  wholly 
or  chiefly  in  a  third  party  who  seeks  relief  for 
a  suffering  friend.     This  is  plainly  seen  in  the 
32 


By  IMental  Suggestion 

centurion  who  sought  aid  for  his  faithful  serv- 
ant, in  the  Canaanitish  woman  who  so  piteously 
pleaded  for  her  tormented  daughter,  and  in  the 
father  who  was  not  easily  discouraged  in  his 
determination  to  find  succor  for  his  deranged 
son.  It  was  the  faith  of  those  who  broke 
through  a  roof  to  get  their  suffering  friend  into 
the  presence  of  the  great  Physician,  rather  than 
the  faith  of  the  palsied  himself,  which  im- 
pressed Jesus. 

Finally,  the  faith  may  be  chiefly  at  least  in 
the  one  who  essays  to  heal.  At  all  events  this 
faith  is  certainly  a  prerequisite  in  the  good 
work.  The  most  striking  evidence  appears  in 
connection  with  the  disciples'  query  why  they 
had  been  unable  to  heal  the  demoniac  boy. 
Their  question  implies  that  up  to  this  point  they 
had  met  with  no  failures,  and  they  were  puzzled 
to  know  the  cause  of  their  discomfiture. 

Now  it  is  true  that  there  is  conflicting  testi- 
mony as  to  what  Jesus  said  in  reply.  In  one 
place  we  find  Jesus'  words,  "This  kind  can 
come  forth  by  nothing,  but  by  prayer  and  fast- 
ing" (]\Ik.  9:29).  The  words,  "and  fasting," 
are  recognized  by  all  textual  critics  as  a  later 
33 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

gloss  added  from  an  ascetic  interest.  Cer- 
tainly fasting  would  be  a  clumsy  therapeutic 
agent  in  acute  cases  requiring  immediate  relief, 
however  beneficial  it  may  be  in  digestive  disor- 
ders. In  St.  Matthew  the  same  reply  appears 
as  an  addendum  so  contradictory  to  what  pre- 
cedes that  the  whole  verse  is  surely  pronounced 
a  gloss  (17:21).  That  gospel  does,  however, 
preserve  the  true  and  sufficient  answer  of  Jesus, 
"Because  of  your  little  faith"  (17:  20).  That 
must  have  been  what  our  Lord  actually  said, 
for  there  is  no  evidence  that  he  ever  prayed 
on  behalf  of  a  sick  person  or  that  he  taught  his 
disciples  to  employ  that  agency.  Certainly  he 
did  not  pray  in  this  case.  Indeed,  the  commen- 
tators on  St.  Mark's  gospel  are  obliged  to  fall 
back  upon  a  general  interpretation  that  healing 
power  can  be  lodged  only  in  a  man  who  prays. 
But  were  not  his  disciples  accustomed  to  pray? 
Had  they  not  long  before  asked  him  to  teach 
them  this  art?  The  truth  is  that  when  the  dis- 
ciples saw  the  fierce  convulsions  of  the  demo- 
niac and  realized  the  apparent  hopelessness  of 
the  case,  their  hearts  failed  within  them  and 
consequently  their  power  oozed  away.  It  will 
34 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

naturally  not  be  inferred  that  it  is  vain  to  pray 
for  the  sick;  prayer  is  an  agency  to  which  all 
may  resort,  and  should  be  employed  more  gen- 
erally and  more  specifically  than  is  usual  now. 
I  shall  say  more  on  this  subject  later,*  but  now 
our  concern  is  to  learn  just  how  Jesus  explained 
the  inability  of  his  disciples,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  he  attributes  their  lack  of  power  to 
their  lack  of  faith.  This  lack  was  not  a  gen- 
eral state,  but  applied  only  to  their  disbelief  in 
their  ability  to  do  the  thing  demanded  at  the 
moment. 

There  must  be  faith,  then,  in  the  one  who 
would  relieve  pain  and  in  the  one  who  seeks 
relief.  The  faith  of  the  third  party  probably 
has  value  chiefly  as  it  may  influence  the  suf- 
ferer. The  servant  of  the  centurion,  knowing 
what  pains  his  master  is  taking  for  a  poor  slave, 
is  pretty  certain  to  acquire  at  least  a  grain  of 
his  master's  faith.  The  palsied  man  may  at 
the  beginning  be  quite  skeptical  in  regard  to  his 
friends'  efforts,  but  as  he  sees  their  persistence, 
as  he  finally  looks  into  the  benign  face  of  the 
one  they  have  so  ardently  sought,  as  he  hears 

1  See  Chapter  IV. 

35 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

his  gracious  address,  as  he  catches  the  needed 
message  of  one  who  could  read  his  soul,  "Thy 
sins  are  forgiven  thee,"  it  would  be  strange  if 
there  did  not  spring  up  in  his  soul  faith  at  least 
as  big  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  and  some- 
times even  a  little  of  that  heavenly  commodity 
will  suffice. 

It  is  because  of  the  imperative  need  of  faith 
in  the  afflicted  that  Jesus  so  rarely  volunteered 
to  heal  the  sick.  He  responded  to  every  call, 
but  only  occasionally  did  he  offer  his  services. 
The  most  striking  case  where  Jesus  did  take 
the  initiative  is  that  of  the  chronic  cripple  who 
was  found  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda  (Jn.  5:  2-9). 
The  preliminary  conversation  with  the  poor 
wreck  may  be  explained  as  a  measure  to  awaken 
a  requisite  faith;  for  some  faith  is  essential. 

Now  this  faith  which  has  such  tremendous 
power  is  a  very  simple  matter.  The  term  in 
the  gospels  covers  merely  the  belief  of  the  suf- 
ferer in  Jesus'  power  to  heal.  The  question 
put  to  the  blind  man,  "Believest  thou  that  I 
have  power  to  do  this?"  proves  the  point  con- 
clusively. The  Syro-Phoenician  mother  cer- 
tainly had  no  knowledge  or  theory  of  the  per- 
36 


By  jMental  Suggestion 

son  of  Christ,  and  she  was  absolutely  ignorant 
of  the  contents  of  the  Christian  faith,  but  she 
knew  that  her  child  was  grievously  ill,  and  she 
believed  with  her  whole  soul  that  Jesus  could 
cure  her,  and  it  was  that  personal  faith  that 
proved  to  have  such  power.  The  woman  who 
had  vainly  fought  for  twelve  long  years  with 
all  her  substance  to  combat  an  issue  of  blood 
knew  nothing  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Trin- 
ity, but  she  knew  that  her  misery  was  great, 
and  she  believed — 0  how  intensely  she  be- 
lieved!— that  if  she  could  get  near  enough  to 
the  good  Physician  to  touch  but  the  border  of 
hiis  garment  her  health  would  be  restored.  The 
faith  which  has  therapeutic  force  is  the  belief 
that  the  disease  can  be  cured  and  that  the  means 
employed,  no  matter  what  they  are,  will  be  ef- 
fective. 

After  this  brief  review  of  the  wonderful 
cures  wrought  by  our  Lord,  we  might  raise  the 
query:  "What  does  it  profit  mere  man  to 
know  what  the  incarnate  Son  did,  or  how  he  did 
it?"  Nevertheless,  my  aim  in  this  book  is  not 
historical.  I  could  not  be  content  merely  with 
showing  what  God  has  done  for  suffering  bu- 
37 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

manity  in  ages  long  past,  nor  how  He  accom- 
plished such  splendid  results.  There  is  too 
much  of  that  sort  of  thing  in  Christian  teaching. 
It  would  be  strange  if  God's  hand  were  short- 
ened that  it  could  not  save  now,  if  the  heavens 
were  shut  up  so  that  no  more  manna  could  fall, 
if  God  no  longer  heard  the  cry  of  pain,  or  there 
were  no  means  for  relief.  We  should  certainly 
go  as  far  as  Coleridge  went  years  ago,  and  real- 
ize that  God  not  only  spoke  but  speaks. 
Greatly  as  we  should  exalt  the  unique  person- 
ality of  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ;  humble  as  the  strongest  and  best  may 
feel  in  the  contemplation  of  his  love,  sympathy, 
goodness,  and  power,  there  are  some  problems 
yet  to  face,  and  I  am  deeply  concerned  with 
these  four :  first,  the  real  explanation  in  modern 
terms  of  Jesus'  methods  of  healing;  second,  the 
fact  that  his  disciples  were  sent  out  to  heal  the 
sick,  £ind  that  their  efforts  were  apparently  as 
effective  as  his  own;  third,  in  view  of  the  un- 
doubted facts,  the  responsibility  which  rests 
upon  the  Christian  ministry  to-day;  four,  and 
chiefly,  the  methods  by  which  the  ministry  may 
meet  the  divinely  imposed  obligation.  These 
38 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

grave  problems,  not  necessarily  in  this  order, 
will  receive  due  consideration  in  the  chapters 
which  follow. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTES 

It  is  desirable  to  give  a  somewhat  detailed 
study  of  the  cases  of  healing  recorded  in  the 
Gospels,  and  so  each  story  is  reviewed  in  order 
to  show  its  salient  features. 

1.  The  son  of  the  nobleman  of  Capernaum, 
Jn.  4 :  46-53.  The  suppliant  sought  to  induce 
Jesus  to  go  from  Cana  to  Capernaum,  some  fif- 
teen miles,  to  heal  his  son  who  was  too  ill  to  be 
brought  to  the  Lord.  Jesus  told  the  nobleman 
to  return  home  as  his  son  lived,  i.e.,  would  get 
well.  Upon  his  return  home  he  found  that  con- 
valescence had  begun  at  the  very  hour  of  his 
conversation  Avith  Jesus,  and  then  he  became  a 
believer.  The  man  was  conservative  and  did 
not  jump  at  conclusions  hastily,  a  fact  which 
makes  his  evidence  the  more  valuable.  The 
disease  was  an  acute  fever,  and  the  patient  was 
near  death.  Our  Lord  was  several  miles  ^  from 
the  sufferer,  and  no  therapeutic  measures  were 
employed  save  the  spoken  word.     The  change 

^  Distance  is  more  accurately  measured  by  time  than  by 
miles.     We  know  that  the  nobleman  spent  at  least  one  night 
on  the  journey,  for  the  servants  said,  "Yesterday  at  the 
seventh  hour  the  fever  left  liim." 
39 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

came  at  the  exact  hour  ^  the  assuring  word  was 
spoken,  though  the  period  of  convalescence  may 
have  been  normal. 

2.  A  demoniac  at  Capernaum,  Mk.  1:23-28; 
Lu.  4 :  33-37.  The  sufferer  was  excited  by 
some  remarks  which  Jesus  had  made,  and 
bursts  out  into  wild  speech,  supposedly  the 
voice  of  the  evil  spirit.  Jesus,  of  his  own  initi- 
ative, commands  the  devil  to  come  out.  The 
inmiediate  effect  was  to  aggravate  the  malady, 
the  spirit  tearing  the  victim  and  making  him 
scream  (Mk.),  and  throwing  him  down  (Lu.) ; 
but  after  the  convulsion  was  ended  the  man  was 
well.  The  cure  was  effected  on  the  Sabbath 
day  and  in  the  presence  of  the  ordinary  congre- 
gation in  the  synagogue. 

3.  Peter's  mother-in-law,  Mt.  8:14  ff.;  Mk. 
1:29-31;  Lu.  4:38  ff.  At  St.  Peter's  house 
directly  after  the  above  scene  in  the  syna- 
gogue, this  woman  was  healed  of  a  fever.  The 
cure  was  so  prompt  that  she  arose  at  once  and 
served  the  guests.  According  to  Matthew,  Je- 
sus acted  of  his  own  volition,  but  according  to 
Mark  and  Luke,  he  was  requested  to  heal  the 
sufferer.    In  Matthew  and  Mark  he  touches  the 

^  Naturally  it  would  be  easy  to  overstress  exact  in  this 
case.  We  need  not  assume  that  either  the  nobleman  on  his 
journey  or  liis  servants  at  home  kept  a  very  accurate  record 
of  the  time. 

40 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

woman's  hand  without  speaking;  Mark  adding, 
"And  lifted  her  up,"  i.e.,  from  her  sick  bed; 
while  in  Luke,  "He  stood  over  her  and  rebuked 
the  fever,  and  it  left  her,"  the  spoken  word  suf- 
ficing without  a  manual  act.  This  cure  was 
wrought  on  the  Sabbath,  but  in  comparative 
privacy. 

In  all  three  of  the  synoptic  gospels  this  story 
is  followed  by  the  general  statement  of  his  cur- 
ing multitudes  of  sick  people  who  were  doubt- 
less brought  to  him  in  consequence  of  tlie  quick 
spread  of  the  report  of  what  he  had  done  that 
morning  in  the  synagogue. 

4.  The  leper  in  Galilee,  Mt.  8:2-4;  Mk. 
1:40-45;  Lu.  5:12-16.  The  leper  seeks  Jesus 
with  the  petition,  "If  thou  wilt,  thou  canst 
make  me  clean,"  questioning  his  willingness  but 
not  his  power,  and  thus  disclosing  his  faith  in 
the  essential  thing.  All  accounts  say  that  he 
both  touched  the  leper  and  said,  "I  will;  be 
thou  clean,"  and  all  report  that  the  cure  was 
immediate.  Mark  brings  out  the  significant 
note  that  our  Lord  was  "moved  with  compas- 
sion." The  healer  needs  to  have  love  as  well 
as  faith.  All  versions  relate  that  Jesus  charged 
the  man  to  tell  no  one  how  he  was  cured — it 
being  impossible,  of  course,  to  keep  the  cure  it- 
self secret — and  to  go  to  the  priest  to  secure  a 
lawful  discharge. 

41 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

5.  The  case  of  paralysis  cured  at  Caper- 
naum, Mt.  9:2-8;  Mk.  2:1-12;  Lu.  5:17-26. 
The  gospels  of  Mark  and  Luke  tell  of  the  great 
crowd  which  filled  the  house  where  Jesus  was 
teaching;  Luke's  account  suggests  that  most  of 
those  present  had  come  to  be  cured  of  disease. 
The  four  men  who  carried  their  bedfast  friend 
could  not  even  get  near  the  door,  so  they  broke 
up  the  roof  and  lowered  the  patient  into  the 
room.  Jesus  was  impressed  with  the  faith  of 
those  who  would  not  be  denied  the  attainment 
of  their  object.  The  means  of  healing  was  the 
spoken  word  only.  At  first  Jesus  said,  "Thy 
sins  are  forgiven,"  but  there  was  no  result  save 
to  stir  the  resentful  thoughts  of  the  scribes 
(Luke  adds,  Pharisees) ;  after  meeting  the  ob- 
jection and  declaring  that  he  had  power  to  for- 
give sins,  he  directed  the  patient  to  arise,  pick 
up  his  bed,  and  go  to  his  house,  and  he  obeyed. 
This  fact  is  ignored  by  the  commentators  who 
assume  that  the  paralysis  was  the  result  of  the 
sufferer's  sins.  It  is  impossible  to  determine 
from  the  data  whether  the  paralysis  was  or- 
ganic or  functional,  but  the  statement  is  made 
that  the  cure  was  immediate,  easily  compre- 
hensible if  the  disorder  was  functional. 

6.  The  impotent  man  by  the  pool  of  Bethesda 
at  Jerusalem,  Jn.  5 : 1-9.  This  case  is  very 
like  the  preceding.     No  details  of  the  disease 

42 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

are  given,  but  the  sufferer  was  unable  to  walk, 
though  he  could  crawl  with  laainful  slowness. 
The  disease  was  presumably  paralysis  and  was 
of  thirty-eight  years'  duration.  The  sufferer 
must  have  been  quite  alone  in  the  world,  for  he 
had  no  one  to  stand  by  to  put  him  in  the  pool, 
which  periodically  was  said  to  possess  healing 
power.  Jesus  offered  his  services,  and  after 
arousing  the  interest  and  faith  of  the  cripple 
cured  him  by  the  command  to  "Arise,  take  up 
thy  bed,  and  walk."  This  cure  was  effected  on 
the  Sabbath. 

7.  The  man  with  a  withered  hand.  Galilee. 
Mt.  12 :  9-14 ;  Mk.  3:1-6;  Lu.  G :  6-11.  This  cure, 
like  No.  2,  was  effected  in  the  synagogue  on  the 
Sabbath.  Mark  and  Luke  say  that  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  (so  Luke ;  Mark  does  not  say  who 
they  were)  watched  him  to  see  if  he  would  heal 
on  the  Sabbath.  Matthew  says  they  asked 
whether  it  was  right  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath. 
Mark  and  Luke,  who  so  often  contribute  signifi- 
cant details,  say  that  Jesus  had  the  man  stand 
up  in  the  midst  of  the  assembly  and  remain 
there  while  he  met  the  objection  of  his  critics, 
and  so  stirred  the  sufferer's  expectation  of  a 
cure  and  awakened  his  faith.  The  cure  was  ac- 
complished by  the  command  ' '  Stretch  forth  thy 
hand,"  bidding  him  do  what  he  was  heretofore 
unable  to  accomplish,  and  the  cure  was  imme- 
43 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

diate.  From  Luke  we  learn  that  it  was  the 
right  hand  that  was  afflicted.  The  term  with- 
ered or  shrunk  suggests  another  case  of  paraly- 
sis, and  the  account  indicates  that  the  arm  was 
affected  as  well  as  the  hand. 

8.  The  centurion's  servant,  Mt.  8:5-13;  Lu. 
7 : 1-10.  Jesus  was  at  Capernaum,  but  we  are 
not  told  where  the  sick  servant  was,  save  that  it 
is  apparent  that  he  was  not  present.  Matthew 
says  that  the  centurion  himself  came  to  Jesus 
on  behalf  of  his  servant,  while  Luke  says  he  sent 
the  elders  of  the  Jews  to  intercede,  and  that 
when  he  was  near  the  house  another  deputation 
met  him  and  the  latter  spoke  the  words  that 
Matthew  ascribes  to  the  Roman  officer  himself, 
namely,  that  Jesus  need  but  say  a  word,  and  the 
healing  would  follow.  In  any  case  the  sufferer 
was  not  in  Jesus'  presence.  Our  Lord  ex- 
pressed his  surprise  at  so  great  a  faith  in  his 
power.  According  to  Luke,  he  does  no  more 
than  this,  and  the  delegation  returns  and  finds 
the  servant  already  well.  Matthew  says  Jesus 
spoke  the  word  as  requested  by  the  centurion, 
and  at  that  hour  the  servant  was  healed.  Luke 
describes  the  man  as  sick  to  the  point  of  death, 
while  Matthew  reports  it  as  a  bad  case  of  palsy. 
The  case  is  similar  to  that  of  the  nobleman's 
son,  No.  1,  but  can  hardly  be  identified  with  it. 

9.  The  blind  and  dumb  demoniac,  Mt.  12 :  22 ; 

44 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

Lu.  11 :  14.  Luke  mentions  only  the  dumbness, 
but  both  accounts  agree  that  the  man  was  pos- 
sessed with  a  devil  to  whose  presence  the  dis- 
turbance in  the  sight  and  speech  (or  speech 
alone)  was  due.  This  fact  suggests  a  hysterical 
infection.  No  details  are  given,  save  that  when 
the  devil  was  cast  out  the  normal  functions  were 
restored. 

10.  The  two  demoniacs  at  Gadara,  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  Mt.  8 :  28-34 ; 
Mk.  5:1-21;  Lu.  8:26-40.  Matthew  alone  re- 
ports two  men.  This  is  the  most  severe  of  any 
case  mentioned  in  the  gospels.  The  man  was 
wild  and  fierce,  dwelling  in  the  tombs,  and  could 
not  be  restrained  even  by  chains ;  he  cut  himself 
with  stones,  and  went  about  naked ;  people  were 
afraid  to  go  into  the  region  where  he  dwelt.  A 
conversation  is  reported  apparently  between 
Jesus  and  the  many  devils,  which  were  supposed 
to  control  the  man.  According  to  the  belief  of 
the  times,  the  demons  took  the  place  of  the 
man's  own  personality.  The  de\dls  plead  that 
they  might  enter  the  swine  feeding  near  by,  and 
to  this  Jesus  assents.  When  the  neighbors 
came  out  they  found  the  demoniac  sitting 
quietly  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  his 
right  mind,  an  expression  confirming  the  conclu- 
sion that  insanity  characterized  by  great  vio- 
lence is  the  disease  in  question. 
45 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

11.  The  woman  with  an  internal  hemorrliage, 
Mt.  9:20-22;  Mk.  5:25-34;  Lu.  8:43-48.  The 
disease  had  continued  for  twelve  years,  and 
Mark  and  Luke  give  details  showing  that  it  was 
like  many  modern  nervous  eases  in  that  the  pa- 
tient had  tried  every  possible  agency  for  relief 
to  the  exhaustion  of  her  resources,  but  without 
getting  any  relief.  All  the  gospels  say  that  the 
flow  of  blood  ceased  the  moment  she  touched  our 
Lord's  garment,  Mark  giving  the  fullest  infor- 
mation, "She  felt  in  her  body  that  she  was 
healed  of  that  plague,"  but  Jesus  assured  her 
when  he  discovered  the  facts  that  her  faith  had 
cured  her  disease,  not  as  she  had  supposed  the 
magic  power  of  his  clothes  (c/.  Acts  19:12). 
On  the  meaning  of  the  Lord 's  statement  that  he 
felt  virtue  pass  out  from  him  see  page  27  ff. 

12.  Two  blind  men,  Mt.  9:27-31.  Jesus 
asked  them  if  they  believed  he  was  able  to  cure 
them.  Upon  their  assuring  him  that  they  did 
so  believe,  he  touched  their  eyes  and  commended 
their  faith  and  they  saw. 

13.  A  dumb  demoniac,  Mt.  9:32  ff.  The 
dumbness  was  attributed  to  the  presence  of  an 
evil  spirit  which  had  power  to  seal  the  sufferer's 
lips.  As  soon  as  the  devil  was  cast  out,  the  man 
was  able  to  speak.     Cf.  No.  9. 

14.  The  daughter  of  the  Syro-Phoenician 
woman,  Mt.  15 :  21-28 ;  Mk.  7 :  24-30.     This  was  a 

46 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

case  of  demoniacal  possession,  according  to 
Matthew,  of  a  severe  type.  Jesus'  apparent 
coldness  at  first  may  be  explained  as  a  necessary 
means  of  developing  the  woman's  faith,  to 
which  alone  our  Lord  attributes  the  daughter's 
cure.  Matthew  reports  that  the  healing  was  ef- 
fected at  the  hour  Jesus  spoke  to  the  woman, 
but  Mark  says  that  when  she  returned  home  she 
"found  the  child  laid  [or  better,  thrown]  upon 
the  bed,  and  the  demon  gone  out. ' '  Apparently 
the  symptoms  attributed  to  demoniacal  posses- 
sion had  disappeared,  but  there  was  a  state  of 
exhaustion  from  which  there  was  a  gradual  re- 
covery. 

15.  The  deaf  stammerer  of  Decapolis,  Mk. 
7 :  32-37.  The  people  who  bring  the  patient  to 
our  Lord  ask  him  to  put  his  hand  upon  him, 
further  evidence  that  that  was  his  usual  method 
of  healing.  Jesus  put  his  finger  into  the  deaf 
ears  and  touched  the  stammering  tongue  with 
spit,  at  the  same  time  saying,  "Ephphatha"  (be 
opened),  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  victim 
was  deaf.  Both  ailments  were  relieved  imme- 
diately. According  to  Matthew,  who  does  not, 
however,  record  this  case,  a  very  large  number 
of  sick  people  were  healed  at  this  place  and 
time. 

16.  The  blind  man  of  Bethsaida,  Mk.  8:  22-26. 
Here,   too,    the   patient   was   brought   by  his 

47 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

friends  and  they  ask  for  Jesus'  touch.  Jesus 
took  the  patient  out  of  the  town  to  a  solitary- 
place.  He  put  spit  on  the  sufferer's  eyes  and 
touched  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  saw.  The 
vision  was  at  first  very  imperfect,  but  after 
again  putting  his  hands  on  the  eyes  and  bidding 
him  look  up  the  cure  was  complete. 

17.  The  demoniac  by  the  Mount  of  Transfig- 
uration, Mt.  17:14-21;  Mk.  9:14-29;  Lu.  9:37- 
43.  The  patient  was  brought  by  his  father,  but 
he  was  probably  an  adult,  as  the  implication  in 
Mark  9 :  21  is  that  he  had  suffered  from  his  dis- 
ease a  long  time.  The  trouble  is  a  severe  case 
of  demoniacal  possession,  and  the  father's  ac- 
count, "Ofttimes  it  hath  cast  him  into  the  fire, 
and  into  the  waters  to  destroy  him,"  suggests  a 
mania  with  a  suicidal  impulse.  The  father  had 
sought  Jesus,  but,  as  he  was  away,  had  asked 
the  disciples  to  heal  his  boy;  they  had  tried  and 
failed,  and  the  distracted  father  appealed  to  the 
Master  who  returned  at  the  opportune  moment. 
Mark's  account  shows  an  effort  on  the  part  of 
Christ  to  awaken  a  greater  faith  in  the  father, 
needed  after  the  disciples*  vain  attempts. 
Whether  the  patient  was  too  deranged  to  be 
affected  by  the  conversation,  it  is  impossible  to 
tell.  Jesus  merely  rebuked  the  spirit,  and  ac- 
cording to  Matthew  and  Luke  the  cure  was  im- 
mediate, but  Mark  describes  intense  convulsions 
48 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

followed  by  a  prostration  which  made  the  by- 
standers believe  the  boy  dead.  Jesus  then  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  raised  him  up.  On  the  dis- 
ciples'  failure,  see  page  33  f. 

18.  The  ten  lepers  in  Samaria,  Lu.  17 :  11-19. 
We  are  expressly  told  that  these  lepers,  though 
they  accosted  him  as  he  was  about  to  enter  a  vil- 
lage, "stood  afar  off."  Jesus  answered  their 
appeal  for  mercy  by  sending  them  to  the  priests, 
and  he  did  no  more.  Their  address,  "Jesus, 
Master,"  and  their  request  for  his  intervention 
show  a  certain  degree  of  faith.  Our  Lord  as- 
sured the  Samaritan  who  returned  to  offer 
thanks  that  his  faith  had  made  him  whole. 

19.  The  man  born  blind,  Jerusalem,  Jn.  9 : 1-7. 
The  case  is  memorable  because  in  this  connec- 
tion we  have  our  Lord's  positive  assertion  that 
this  affliction  was  not  due  to  the  sin  either  of  the 
sufferer  or  of  his  parents.  The  therapeutic 
measures  employed  are  the  most  elaborate  re- 
corded in  the  gospels.  Jesus  spat  on  the  ground 
and  made  a  clay  ointment  which  he  put  upon  the 
afflicted  eyes,  and  sent  the  patient  to  wash  in 
the  pool  of  Siloam.  The  blindness  was  cured 
immediately  after  the  bathing.  This  healing 
took  place  on  the  Sabbath. 

20.  An  infirm  woman,  Lu.  13:10-16.  This 
event  also  took  place  on  the  Sabbath,  and  in  the 
synagogue.    The  woman  had  suffered  from  her 

49 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

disease  for  eighteen  years.  She  is  described  as 
bent  over  so  that  she  could  not  straighten  up. 
From  the  statements  that  she  had  "a  spirit  of 
infirmity"  and  that  Satan  had  bound  her,  it  ap- 
pears to  be  a  case  in  which  demoniacal  posses- 
sion was  supposed  to  be  the  cause  of  the  para- 
lytic condition.  Jesus  took  the  initiative  him- 
self, using  both  words  of  healing  and  the  laying 
on  of  hands. 

21.  The  blind  man  near  Jericho,  Mt.  20:29- 
34 ;  Mk.  10 :  46-52 ;  Lu.  18 :  35-43.  Matthew  says 
there  were  two  blind  men,  the  others  one,  and 
from  Mark  we  learn  that  his  name  was  Bar- 
timsus.  The  sufferer  heard  a  crowd  passing, 
and  learning  by  inquiry  that  Jesus  was  in  the 
throng,  he  cried  to  him  for  mercy,  persisting  in 
spite  of  all  efforts  to  silence  him.  There  is  here 
a  brief  preliminary  conversation,  and  according 
to  Mark  and  Luke  the  sufferer  was  healed  with  a 
word  and  was  told  that  his  faith  had  wrought 
the  cure.  In  Matthew  we  read  again  that  Jesus 
was  moved  with  compassion,  and  that  he 
touched  the  afflicted  eyes,  but  spoke  no  word. 
All  say  that  the  cure  was  immediate. 

22.  The  restoration  of  Malchus'  ear,  Lu. 
22 :  50  ff.  All  four  gospels  record  the  injury 
from  Peter's  sword;  John  furnishes  the  name 
of  the  assailant  and  of  his  victim;  but  Luke 
alone  contains  an  account  of  the  healing.    All 

50 


By  IklENTAL  Suggestion 

say  tbat  the  ear  was  severed,  John  using  a  spe- 
cific term  cut  off.  The  healing  was  effected  by  a 
touch,  no  mention  being  made  of  the  return  of 
the  severed  part.  This  is  the  only  case  in  which 
our  Lord's  healing  comes  into  the  realm  of  sur- 
gery. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  ten  of  these  rec- 
ords are  found  in  but  a  single  gospel;  two  in 
Matthew  only,  Nos.  12,  13;  two  in  Mark  only, 
Nos.  15,  16;  three  in  Luke  only,  Nos.  18,  20,  22; 
and  three  in  John  only,  Nos.  1,  6,  19;  one  is 
found  only  in  Matthew  and  Mark,  No.  14 ;  two  in 
Matthew  and  Luke,  Nos.  8,  9;  and  one  in  Mark 
and  Luke ;  eight  are  on  record  in  the  three  sy- 
noptic gospels,  Nos.  3,  4,  5,  7,  10,  11,  17,  21. 
John  does  not  record  a  case  described  else- 
where. 

It  is  reported  that  in  five  of  these  cases  the 
healing  took  place  on  the  Sabbath  day,  a  fact 
often  giving  rise  to  pretty  serious  controversy, 
and  this  interest  may  be  partly  the  occasion  of 
the  record  of  the  stories. 


51 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Extension  of  the  Healing  Mission 

OUE  Lord  never  once  hinted  that  his  ability 
to  heal  the  sick  was  due  to  his  unique  re- 
lationship to  God.  On  the  contrary  he  declared 
plainly  that  the  gift  of  healing  was  not  peculiar 
to  him,  even  going  so  far  as  to  say  that  any  one 
who  believed  in  him  would  be  able  to  perform 
deeds  greater  than  any  that  he  had  ever  done.^ 
It  is  vastly  important  to  realize  that  Jesus  in- 
_sisted  th'at  others  could  heal  the  sick  as  well  as 
he.  Moreover,  he  early  put  his  conviction  to 
the  severest  practical  test,  for  he  sent  out  the 
twelve,  and  from  the  whole  tenor  of  his  instruc- 
tion, especially  as  reported  by  St.  Matthew 
(10: 1-^2),  the  main  object  of  their  mission  was 
to  heal  the  sick.     There  are  certain  indications 

1  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  believeth  on  me, 
the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also;  and  preater  works  than 
these  shall  he  do;  because  I  go  unto  the  Father." — St.  John 
14:12. 

52 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

that  Jesus  feared  excessive  publicity  ^  as  the 
result  of  his  wonderful  cures,  and  he  may  have 
intended  to  relegate  that  office  to  his  disciples. 
And  this  work  was  not  limited  to  the  twelve; 
for  in  St.  Luke  we  have  the  story  of  the  mission 
of  the  seventy  followers,  and  they  also  were 
directed  to  heal  the  sick  of  every  city  they  en- 
tered. It  is  clear  that  the  disciples  were  suc- 
cessful even  as  their  Master  had  been,  for  the 
seventy  returned  to  him  rejoicing  because  they 
had  found  by  experience  that  they  too  could  cast 
out  devils.^  Not  only  were  those  close  to 
Christ  able  to  thus  relieve  human  suffering,  but 
others  caught  the  spirit  of  the  movement,  and 
found  that  they  also  could  banish  the  devils 
which  tormented  human  life.  Moreover,  our 
Lord  approved  of  this  spreading  of  the  impulse 
to  heal  the  sick ;  for  he  rebuked  the  over-zealous 
disciples  who  would  enjoin  those  not  belonging 
to  their  body  from  casting  out  devils  in  his 
name  (Lu.  9:49  ff.).    Our  Lord  wanted  every 

^  That  is  the  natural  implication  from  the  frequency  with 
which  he  enjoined  those  who  were  relieved  to  tell  no  one 
who  had  wrought  the  cure. 

2  The  term  is  presumably  comprehensive,  meaning  that  the 
seventy  healed  all  kinds  of  sickness. 

53 


The  Belief  of  Pain 

one  to  be  free  to  engage  in  the  effort  to  lift  the 
burden  of  the  world's  woes. 

It  is  a  striking  fact  that  so  few  healing  cases 
are  described  in  the  fourth  gospel,  and  those 
only  which  show  the  power  of  Jesus  at  its 
highest  point:  the  curing  of  the  nobleman's  son, 
who  was  miles  away  at  the  time,  by  a  spoken 
word,  the  fever  disappearing  at  the  moment 
the  word  was  spoken ;  the  healing  of  the  impo- 
tent man  at  the  pool;  and  the  healing  of  the 
one  who  was  bom  blind.  The  primary  aim  of 
this  gospel  was  not  to  record  what  Jesus  did, 
but  to  show  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  At 
the  time  when  the  gospel  was  written,  healing 
by  the  disciples  and  other  Christian  workers 
was  probably  so  common  that  most  of  our 
Lord's  work  in  this  field  had  no  longer  signifi- 
cance in  view  of  the  writer 's  apologetic  purpose. 
Healing  had  passed  from  the  Master  to  the 
disciples. 

Now  these  disciples  were  for  the  most  part 

a  pretty  crude  lot  of  men.    As  they  have  been 

idealized  by  sculptors  and  painters  and  poets, 

they  appear  to  be  choice  spirits  and  peculiarly 

54 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

suitable  for  a  heavenly  mission;  but  such  pic- 
tures as  Tissot's,  offensive  as  they  seem  to  us, 
more  nearly  represent  the  truth.  The  disci- 
ples were  uneducated  and  uncultured  and  unre- 
fined, coming  for  the  most  part  from  the  lower 
classes ;  nevertheless  these  men  had  stout  hearts 
and  were  devoted  to  their  Master,  and  they  met 
the  pragmatic  test  of  success.  Different  as 
conditions  are  to-day,  we  may  think  of  this 
point  when  we  hear  men  insist  that  only  spe- 
cially trained  physicians  should  be  permitted  to 
treat  human  ailments.  That  plea  holds  good 
for  the  innumerable  maladies  which  require 
special  medical  knowledge;  but  on  the  other 
hand  there  are  thousands  of  sufferers  whom  a 
physician  can  help  only  by  casting  away  for 
the  time  his  professional  education  and  taking 
up  measures  in  the  employment  of  which  he 
may  be  a  veritable  tyro. 

Methods  of  the  Disciples 

We  have  very  little  information  about  the 

therapeutic  methods  used  by  the  disciples.    We 

naturally  infer  that  they  would  follow  closely 

55 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

those  they  had  observed  in  their  Lord's  min- 
istry to  the  sick.^  Therefore  when  we  read  that 
the  disciples  anointed  the  sick  with  oil  (Mk. 
6: 13),  an  agency  never  so  far  as  we  know  em- 
ployed by  their  Master,  we  may  well  wonder 
whether  the  passage  does  not  reflect  a  usage 
common  at  a  later  time.^  The  seventy  reported 
that  the  devils  were  subject  unto  them  in  the 
name  of  their  Lord  (Lu.  10:17),  and  this  use 

^  Our  Lord  merely  gave  the  disciples  the  command  to  heal 
the  sick.  The  implication  is  that  he  meant  them  to  do  it  as 
he  had  done  it.  What  we  know  of  the  disciples'  metliods 
belongs  to  the  Apostolic  period.  From  that  time  we  name 
these  few  cases.  St.  Peter  healed  the  lame  beggar  at  the 
temple  gate  by  using  the  command,  "In  the  name  of  Jesus 
walk,"  and  the  touch,  raising  him  to  his  feet  (Acts  3 : 1-8, 
see  further  in  Chapter  III).  St.  Philip  cured  many  that 
were  sick,  but  there  is  not  a  word  about  the  means  he  em- 
ployed (ibid.,  8:7).  St.  Peter  healed  the  bedfast  .Tineas 
by  the  spoken  word  only ;  but  his  introduction  is,  "Jesus 
Christ  healeth  thee"  (ibid.,  9:33  ff.).  St.  Paul  exorcises 
an  evil  spirit,  that  is,  casts  out  a  devil,  by  a  command  in 
the  name  of  Christ  (ibid.,  16: 16-18).  There  is  a  peculiar 
story  of  the  healing  of  the  sick  by  placing  upon  them  hand- 
kerchiefs or  aprons  which  had  touched  St.  Paul's  body 
(ibid.,  19:12).  There  is  nothing  incredible  in  this  state- 
ment, as  will  be  sho^vn  in  connection  with  the  subject  of 
suggestion  in  Chapter  III. 

2  Anointing  the  sick  was  practiced  by  the  Jews  before  the 
time  of  our  Lord,  and  is  spoken  of  by  St.  James  (5:14), 
but  it  was  not  used  by  our  Lord,  nor  so  far  as  we  know  by 
his  disciples.  The  method  was  extensively  employed  in  the 
Church  in  post-Apostolic  times. 

56 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

of  his  name  seems  to  be  the  only  departure  from 
his  own  methods,  and  certainly  that  was  but  a- 
natural  extension  on  the  part  of  disciples. 

It  seems  clear  that  no  follower  of  Jesus  Christ 
can  to-day  be  indifferent  to  the  cry  of  pain 
which  still  rings  throughout  the  world.  If  we 
obey  his  command  to  preach  the  gospel  over  all 
the  earth,  we  seem  to  be  equally  bound  to  heal 
the  sick  in  every  city  and  town  we  enter.  Much 
as  has  been  said  to  the  contrary — it  is  easy  to 
fling  scorn  at  the  Church,  and  now  it  is  not  an 
unpopular  pastime — nevertheless  I  believe  that 
the  Christian  ministry  and  Christian  people 
generally  have  never  been  entirely  unmindful 
of  their  duty,  and  have  never  ceased  to  try  to 
do  it.  But  it  has  been  a  case  of  the  blind  lead- 
ing the  blind,  and  only  now  are  our  eyes  being 
opened.  We  can  see  a  new  duty,  we  can  re- 
hear the  old  command,  and  I  believe  we  shall 
have  the  grace  to  respond.^ 

^  It  is  not  urged  that  every  clergyman  should  be  a  prac- 
titioner in  psychotherapy,  but  there  should  be  enough  en- 
gaged in  that  work  so  that  every  sufferer  who  desired  such 
help  would  find  it  accessible.  But  every  priest  should  be 
familiar  with  the  principles  of  the  science,  for  it  will  aid 
him  greatly  in  his  regular  pastoral  work.  For  several  years 
at  the  General  Seminary  I  have  conducted  a  seminar  at  the 
57 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

Classification  of  Diseases 
All  human  diseases  may  be  classified  con- 
veniently, even  if  roughly,  as  organic  or  func- 
tional. It  is  true  that  the  border  land  is  not 
always  sharply  defined,  and  yet  there  is  a  very 
real  distinction  between  diseases  in  which  there 
is  organic  degeneration,  and  those  in  which, 
however  closely  they  resemble  the  former  class 
in  symptoms,  there  is  no  essential  change  in 
the  tissues.  This  differentiation  is  not  always 
easy  to  make,  and  often  indeed  quite  impossible 
save  by  an  autopsy,  which  is  by  far  too  late  so 
far  as  the  particular  individual  is  concerned. 

There  is,  however,  another  way  of  reaching 
the  point,  and  by  a  more  practicable  method. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  diseases  may  be  differenti- 
ated not  only  by  their  effects,  but  by  their 
causes,  and  this  seems  to  me  to  be  a  distinction 
that  is  both  valid  and  vital.  The  cause  of  the 
pathological  state  may  be  material  or  mental, 
physical  or  psychical.  The  body  may  suffer 
from  something  coming  from  without  or  from 
something  originating  within. 

request  of  the  students  so  as  to  give  the  candidates  for  or- 
ders some  simple  training  in  psychotherapy. 

58 


By  Mextal  Suggestion 

This  point  is  so  important  that  I  want  to 
illustrate  it  a  little.  A  person  goes  from  a 
warm  house  out  into  the  cold  wind.  The  chilly 
breeze  irritates  the  delicate  membranes  of  the 
eyes,  and  the  eyelids  redden  and  the  tears  flow. 
Here  is  a  condition  obviously  due  to  an  ex- 
ternal and  physical  cause.  But  a  person  may 
be  told  some  distressingly  sad  news,  and  pre- 
cisely the  same  effect  is  produced,  the  cause  be- 
ing internal  and  psychic.  A  person  with  sensi- 
tive nasal  membranes  may  inhale,  we  will  say, 
some  fine  pollen  from  plants.  The  particles 
lodge  in  the  folds  of  the  nasal  passages,  pro- 
ducing irritation  and  congestion.  Nature's  ef- 
fort at  relief  causes  a  copious  flow  of  the  nasal 
secretions,  and  we  have  an  acute  case  of  hay 
fever.  One  subject  to  this  much  misunderstood 
and  much  maligned  malady  may  be  hypnotized, 
and  while  in  this  state,  if  an  artificial  flower  is 
held  under  his  nose  and  he  is  told  that  it  is  a 
pollen  producing  plant  and  will  give  him  hay 
fever,  a  fully  developed  attack  may  result.  In 
all  outward  appearances  the  two  cases  are  ex- 
actly the  same,  but  it  is  manifest  that  the  cause 
is  altogether  different,  and  it  seems  only  reason- 
59 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

able  to  insist  that  the  treatment  should  be  dif- 
ferent. The  fact  is  that  there  is  scarcely  any 
disease  of  the  human  body,  the  symptoms  of 
which  may  not  be  duplicated  in  a  case  that  is 
purely  functional  in  character  and  psychic  in 
its  origin. 

The  Responsibility  of  the  Church 
It  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the  Church  has 
a  duty  in  some  kinds  of  illness,  and  is  absolved 
of  all  responsibility  in  others.  My  thesis  is 
that  the  Church  has  a  duty  in  every  ease  of 
human  suffering,  but  that  her  responsibility 
differs  in  kind  though  not  in  degree  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  malady.  In  some  cases 
her  call  is  secondary  and  indirect,  but  in  others 
her  work  should  be  primary  and  direct. 

The  Church  has  never  been  unmindful  of  her 
duty  when  it  was  secondary  and  direct.  The 
hospitals  and  dispensaries  have  been  largely 
built  and  maintained  by  the  churches  or  by 
Christian  men  whose  act  was  the  result  of  the 
Church's  influence.  Every  large  city  parish 
which  ministers  to  the  poor  must  have  a  physi- 
cian who  is  virtually  a  member  of  its  staff. 
60 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

The  Church  is  meeting  its  responsibility  best 
sometimes  by  sending  for  the  doctor.  The  par- 
ish priest  may  spend  alms  for  medicines  as  well 
as  for  bread  and  coal.  The  doctor  might  well 
look  upon  himself  as  belonging  to  a  holy  order, 
for  he  is  surely  doing  God's  work,  though  not 
the  whole  of  God's  work. 

The  Church  shows  that  she  never  meant  to 
relegate  entirely  to  others  the  care  of  the  sick ; 
she  never  forgot  that  when  material  medicine 
is  doing  its  best,  there  is  yet  perhaps  something 
lacking.  In  the  ordinal  there  is  not  much  left 
of  one  of  the  chief  duties  laid  by  our  Lord  upon 
his  disciples,  but  there  is  the  solemn  pledge 
that  the  priest  "use  both  public  and  private 
monitions  and  exhortations,  as  well  to  the  sick 
as  to  the  whole."  ^  There  are  some  prayers 
for  use  in  the  public  service  for  individuals 
who  are  sick,  and  for  the  whole  community  in 
time  of  epidemics.  And  above  all  there  is  an 
office  for  the  visitation  of  the  sick,  an  office  in- 

1  In  the  exhortation  to  the  Bishop-consecrate  there  is  the 
specific  injunction,  "Heal  the  sick,"  and  that  is  enjoined 
when  the  Presiding  Bishop  puts  a  Bible  into  the  candidate's 
hands.  It  is  evident  that  Bishops  do  not  take  this  part  of 
their  office  very  seriously. 

61 


The  Eelief  op  Pain 

deed  so  antiquated,  impracticable,  and  unhelp- 
ful that  it  requires  not  revision  but  thorough 
reconstruction;  but  it  does  stand  as  an  expres- 
sion of  the  Church's  faith  and  recognition  of 
her  duty.^ 

The  mischief  in  these  offices  is  that  one  and 
all  they  aim  at  the  sufferer's  sins  rather  than 
his  disease.  The  time  for  a  brave  priest  to 
attack  a  sinner  is  when  he  is  strong  and  well, 
not  when  he  is  sick  and  weak  and  downhearted 
and  weary.  Because  the  Church  has  taken  this 
attitude,  the  physician  often  wisely  closes  the 
door  of  the  sickroom  to  the  clergyman;  one  is 
not  wanted  who  comes  to  prepare  for  death 
rather  than  to  fight  for  life.  The  underlying  evil 
in  the  Church's  ministrations  is  that  they  are 
based  on  the  theory  that  disease  is  the  result  of 
sin,  and  one  who  goes  to  relieve  pain  with  this 
generalization  as  his  guide  is  a  Job's  comforter 
indeed.  Let  us  remind  ourselves  that  our  Lord 
sent  his  disciples  out  to  heal  the  sick,  not  to 
search  their  souls  for  sin.     The  priest  should 

^  I  speak  only  of  my  own  ehureh,  beeause  I  know  the 
conditions  in  that  body.  Other  churches  may  be  more  faith- 
ful to  the  ancient  obligations,  though  such  meager  knowl- 
edge of  conditions  as  I  have  is  not  reassuring. 

62 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

go  to  the  bedside  of  pain  to  aid  the  physician 
and  the  nurse,  not  to  undo  their  work.  And  if 
by  his  gentle,  comforting  words,  if  by  the  kindly 
touch  of  his  consecrated  hand  to  a  feverish 
brow,  if  by  his  earnest  pleas  on  his  knees  for 
the  healing  of  the  disease,  if  partly  owing  to 
these  ministrations,  the  sick  man  is  made  whole, 
he  will  not  need  to  point  the  moral.  A  woman 
was  ill  with  pneumonia.  She  was  attended 
daily  by  two  excellent  doctors  and  there  were 
two  trained  nurses  alternately  on  duty.  In  ad- 
dition, and  at  the  request  of  one  of  the  doctors, 
a  clergyman  experienced  in  psychotherapy 
made  a  daily  visit.  This  was  timed  to  coincide 
with  the  period  when  the  patient's  condition  was 
bad  because  she  fell  into  a  state  of  nervous- 
ness and  agitation,  a  state  upon  which  disease 
can  thrive.  The  result  of  his  comforting  minis- 
trations was  that  the  restless  patient  became 
calm  and  quiet  again,  and  when  finally  she  re- 
covered she  ascribed  her  cure  not  to  doctors, 
nurses  and  medicines,  but  to  a  priest.  And 
from  a  strictly  scientific  point  of  view  she  may 
have  been  right  in  the  main,  for,  vital  as  the 
medical  treatment  was,  it  is  true,  as  I  shall  try 
63 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

to  show  later,  that  moral  and  religious  forces 
may  exert  an  important  therapeutic  influence 
even  in  organic  disease. 

The  Suffering  in  Nervous  Diseases 
Nevertheless,  it  is  the  other  class  of  diseases 
in  which  psychotherapy  comes  peculiarly  to  its 
own,  and  in  which  the  Church  may  find  a  proper 
field  to  ohey  the  command  of  Christ  by  giving 
primary  and  direct  help  for  the  relief  of  pain. 
In  these  cases  the  clergy  may  not  only  comfort, 
but  they  may,  and  I  believe  with  all  my  heart, 
should,  cure. 

The  field  is  very  large.  Until  one  has  had 
occasion  and  opportunity  to  know  the  actual 
conditions,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  what  vast 
hordes  of  people  are  suffering  from  the  so- 
called,  or  rather  miscalled,  nervous  disorders. 
And  they  really  do  suffer.  In  organic  diseases 
the  pain  is  not  very  great,  it  is  usually  not  very 
long  continued,  and  it  is  wholly  of  the  body ;  in 
the  psychopathic  diseases,  the  pain  is  often  al- 
most unbearable,  it  never  lets  up  for  long  at  a 
time,  and  it  is  of  the  mind.  That  pain  of  the 
body  is  a  small  thing  compared  with  pain  in 
64 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

the  mind,  may  be  shown  by  an  actual  occurrence. 
A  physician,  who  was  in  the  depths  of  neuras- 
thenic depression,  broke  his  arm.  While  the 
surgeons  were  setting  the  fractured  bone,  at  the 
crisis  when  they  knew  that  the  pain  was  most 
severe,  they  asked  the  patient  if  he  could  stand 
a  little  more.  He  replied,  "Pull  hard,  boys;  it 
positively  feels  good,  for  it  makes  me  forget  the 
utter  misery  in  my  mind." 

Again,  organic  diseases  usually  have  a  limit. 
No  matter  what  sort  of  treatment  the  patient 
has,  the  malady  has  a  more  or  less  definite 
course  to  run,  and  the  patient  either  dies  or  gets 
well.  But  in  the  psychopathic  disorders,  the 
disease  never  kills,  and,  with  the  usual  means  of 
treatment,  is  too  seldom  cured.  A  miserable 
existence  is  dragged  out  month  after  month 
and  year  after  year,  and  there  is  no  relief,  so 
that  the  sufferer  reaches  a  state  of  discourage- 
ment which  alone  is  a  heavy  burden  to  bear. 

Then  the  sufferer  from  organic  disease  has 
a  malady  which  is  understood  of  all  men. 
Family,  friends,  and  neighbors  join  in  serving 
him  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  They  adminis- 
ter no  reproofs,  they  lay  upon  the  sufferer  no 
65 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

blame,  and  lie  has  the  tremendous  moral  sup- 
port of  their  love  and  sympathy.  But  the  one 
who  suffers  from  a  nervous  malady  is  an  out- 
cast. Nobody  understands  him;  nobody  be- 
lieves in  the  reality  of  his  complaint;  he  is 
credited  with  bewailing  ills  that  are  imaginary, 
and  is  supposed  to  be  the  victim  of  his  own 
weakness;  weakness  not  of  the  body,  but  that 
supposedly  most  shameful  weakness,  of  the  will. 
In  the  one  case  the  friends  send  flowers,  in  the 
other  they  are  wont  to  throw  stones. 

And  yet  the  recognition  of  these  disorders  is 
not  altogether  modern.  In  the  year  444  b.  c, 
a  royal  butler,  who  had  been  for  months  in  a 
state  of  great  depression,  appeared  in  the 
course  of  his  duties  before  his  master,  the  Per- 
sian king  Artaxerxes  I.  The  acute  monarch 
easily  discerned  that  his  courtier  was  in  great 
distress,  but  he  shows  discrimination  in  his  ques- 
tion and  his  verdict:  "Why  is  thy  countenance 
sad,  seeing  thou  art  not  sick?  This  is  noth- 
ing else  but  sorrow  of  heart,"  or  better,  a  mal- 
ady of  the  mind  (Neh.  2 :2).  The  king  perceived 
that  his  cup-bearer  was  not  sick  in  body,  but  he 
did  see  that  he  was  sick  in  soul.  He  did  not 
66 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

reproach  him  for  weakness  of  character,  nor 
advise  him  to  take  a  much-advertised  nerve 
drug,  but  he  showed  sympathy  for  Nehemiah, 
and  gave  him  permission  to  take  the  course 
which  speedily  resulted  in  a  cure. 

Contrasted  Mistakes 
The  king's  discrimination  is  greatly  needed 
to-day.  On  the  one  hand,  we  find  a  large  or- 
ganization like  the  Christian  Science  Church, 
in  which  there  has  been  a  growth  so  great  and 
so  rapid  that  it  invites  investigation  and  per- 
haps searching  of  heart.  The  physician  is 
often  compelled  to  ask  the  Christian  Scientist 
that  very  humiliating  question,  "Why  could  not 
we  cast  it  out?"  For  these  healers  have  often 
succeeded  where  doctors  have  failed.  And  yet 
in  this  cult  no  discrimination  between  different 
classes  of  ailments  is  recognized.  All  diseases 
are  denounced  as  "errors  of  mortal  mind." 
This  solid  flesh  is  denied  reality,  and  the  in- 
evitable corollary  is  that  pain  and  disease  have 
no  existence.  Therefore  it  does  not  make  any 
difference  whether  the  disease  is  infantile 
paralysis  or  hysteria,  a  deadly  cancer  or  a 
67 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

nervous  headache,  the  treatment  is  purely  men- 
tal, or,  if  they  like,  religious.  If  these  people 
were  strictly  logical,  precisely  the  same  remedy 
should  be  applied  to  a  wound,  to  a  broken  leg 
and  to  a  decayed  tooth;  but  few  people  are  al- 
together logical. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  the  medical  pro- 
fession. I  would  like  to  say  much  in  praise  of 
physicians.  It  is  a  body  of  hard  workers,  its 
members  are  earnest  students,  they  labor  along 
scientific  lines,  and  they  are,  on  the  whole,  quite 
self-sacrificing.  But  the  almost  inevitable  tend- 
ency in  medicine  is  toward  materialism.  The 
science  of  Darwin  and  Huxley  belongs  largely 
to  the  past,  but  it  was  a  powerful  force  in  its 
day,  and  it  exercises  too  great  an  influence  in 
medicine  still.  Moreover,  the  medical  student 
properly  begins  his  studies  with  the  human 
body,  and  alas!  he  too  often  never  gets  much 
further.  The  last  terrible  conclusion  of  a  gross 
materialism  was  that  mind  was  merely  a  func- 
tion of  the  brain,  that  apart  from  the  physical 
organ  the  mind  has  no  existence. 

The  result  was  that  the  physician  tends  to 
rely  chiefly  and  often  exclusively  on  material 
68 


By  JtlENTAL  Suggestion 

treatment  for  every  form  of  disease,  and  thus 
goes  to  the  opposite  extreme  from  the  Christian 
Scientist,  and  yet  reaches  the  like  conclusion 
that  aU  diseases  are  to  be  treated  by  the  same 
general  means.  It  is  only  just  to  say  that  the 
laity  are  partly  to  blame  for  this  unfortunate 
condition.  Too  many  laymen  believe  that  there 
is  a  drug  that  will  relieve  every  human  com- 
plaiut  if  only  the  magic  compound  can  be  found. 
Too  many  people  would  be  resentful  at  paying 
a  doctor's  bill  if  he  had  not  written  many 
prescriptions.  The  Christian  Scientist  agrees 
with  the  chronicler  who  condemns  good  King 
Asa  because  when  he  had  the  gout  he  sought 
the  physicians  and  not  Jehovah  (2  Chr.  16: 12). 
Physicians  resort  to  Jehovah  too  little. 

My  plea  is  that  we  shall  seek  both  Jehovah 
and  the  physician;  that  all  diseases  shall  be 
carefully  studied  and  the  most  suitable  remedies 
shall  be  applied  for  each.  The  chief  concern 
in  this  treatise,  however,  is  with  the  functional 
nervous  disorders,  for  they  are  the  ones  which 
call  for  remedies,  which  any  one  may  indeed 
prescribe,  but  which  the  clergy  above  all  should 
be  able  and  eager  to  furnish.    This  will  appear 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

the  more  plainly  if  we  consider  a  little  more 
carefully  the  nature  and  cause  of  these  strange 
and  intricate  diseases. 

TJie  Influence  of  the  Mind  Upon  the  Body 
"We  will  approach  the  subject  along  such 
broad  lines  that  we  shall  not  easily  lose  our 
way.  It  is  desirable,  first  of  all,  to  be  reason- 
ably sure  of  the  fact  of  the  mind's  influence 
upon  the  body  and  to  form  some  idea  of  its 
extent.  As  the  significance  of  the  commonest 
phenomena  is  often  overlooked,  we  will  cite  as 
the  first  illustration  of  psychic  effects  upon  the 
body  the  condition  of  a  person  weeping.  The 
eyes  are  inflamed,  tears  stream  down  the  cheeks, 
the  frame  is  shaken  with  convulsions,  groans 
and  sobs  are  heard.  Here  surely  is  a  marked 
state  of  physical  disturbance,  and  were  it  not 
so  unhappily  familiar  might  easily  be  regarded 
as  a  serious  bodily  disorder.  But  we  know  that 
the  cause  lies  wholly  in  the  disturbed  emotions, 
and  when  we  attempt  to  minister  to  one  in  such 
a  state,  we  never  dream  of  applying  material 
remedies,  but  we  seek  to  exert  a  quieting  in- 
fluence upon  the  mind. 

70 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

It  is  well  known  that  the  digestive  function  is 
peculiarly  susceptible  to  mental  or  emotional 
influences.  When  we  are  downhearted  we  can 
scarcely  eat  at  all,  and  what  we  do  manage  to 
swallow  will  hardly  digest.  If,  at  the  moment 
of  finishing  a  substantial  meal,  certain  emotions 
are  aroused,  like  sadness  or  anger  or  fear,  the 
process  of  digestion  is  arrested,  and  the  food 
lies  in  the  stomach  like  a  lump  of  lead.  These 
are  temporary  conditions  and  usually  soon  pass 
away;  but  indigestion  easily  becomes  a  habit, 
and  as  such  can  only  be  explained  as  due  to  a 
mental  influence. 

Fear  exercises  great  and  varied  influence 
upon  the  body.  We  have  the  proverbial  saying, 
"Fear  lent  him  wings,"  and  the  saw  reveals 
truth,  for  there  are  innumerable  cases  in  which 
a  person  has  displayed  almost  superhuman 
power  under  the  stress  of  fear.  In  other  cases 
the  opposite  effect  is  seen,  for  fear  often  para- 
lyzes, so  that  a  person  in  danger  is  unable  to 
move  or  speak,  bound  in  the  waking  state  pre- 
cisely as  in  a  nightmare.^    Similarly  we  may 

»A  veterinary  surgeon  told  the  writer  tbat  once  while 
hiinting  he  saw  a  rattlesnake  directly  in  his  path  and  only 

71 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

have  excessive  palpitation  of  the  heart  from 
excitement  or  embarrassment.  Indeed,  there  is 
no  organ  of  the  body  whose  functions  may  not 
be  noticeably  affected  by  an  emotional  excita- 
tion. 

The  matter  has  often  been  the  subject  of 
experiment  upon  persons  put  into  the  state  of 
hypnosis.  Tell  such  a  person  that  he  has  a 
fever,  and  his  temperature  will  rise;  tell  him 
that  he  has  a  chill,  and  he  will  shiver  and  the 
temperature  will  fall ;  tell  him  that  he  has  a  cold, 
and  he  will  immediately  sneeze  and  cough  and 
a  handkerchief  becomes  an  imperative  necessity. 

Another  striking  illustration  of  a  purely 
psychic  force  working  upon  the  body  is  the 
phantom  or  hysterical  tumor.  The  condition  is 
so  puzzling  that  there  is  a  case  on  record  where 
preparations  were  completed  for  the  excision 
of  a  tumor,  but  the  operator's  hands  were 
stayed  because  the  swelling  disappeared  as  soon 
as  the  ether  was  administered.  There  is  hardly 
a  human  disease  the  exact  symptoms  of  which 

a  few  feet  away.  Thou,s:h  he  had  a  ^in  in  his  hand,  he 
found  himself  utterly  unahle  to  move  a  muscle.  Fortu- 
nately his  oompanion  had  more  stable  nerves  and  promptly 
shot  the  reptile. 

72 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

may  not  be  found  in  persons  suffering  from 
hysferia,  only  back  of  "the  symptoms  iii^Jtlje^ 
hysterical  case  there  is  no  organic  cause. 

Can  the  mind  go  further  and  produce  organic 
changes  in  the  bodyt  I  am  not  able  to  go  into 
fhis'  question  very  much.  The  matter  needs 
fuller  investigation  by  competently  trained  men. 
But  there  is  considerable  trustworthy  evidence 
which  tends  to  an  affirmative  answer  to  the 
question.  Victor  Hugo  makes  the  hair  of  his 
hero  turn  white  in  a  night.  Hugo  was  writing 
fiction,  but  fiction  is  often  based  on  truth.  An 
organic  change  like  this  may  not  be  so  quickly 
produced  by  mental  forces,  but  the  evidence  is 
pretty  strong  that  continued  emotional  stress 
does  bring  premature  gray  hairs.  At  least  one 
such  case  lies  within  my  own  experience. 

As  cautious  a  biographer  as  Sabatier  records 
as  a  probable  fact  the  stigmata  of  St.  Francis 
of  Assisi,  and  suggests  the  true  explanation, 
that  the  saint  had  so  long  dwelt  upon  the 
wounds  in  the  hands  of  his  Lord,  that  organic 
changes  were  wrought  in  his  own.^ 

^  Life  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  bv  Paul  Sabatier,  Chap. 
XVIT. 

73 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

Here  again  the  most  striking  experiments 
have  been  made  by  hypnotists,  not  by  the 
mountebanks  but  by  scientifically  educated  men, 
mostly  physicians.  A  piece  of  gummed  paper 
was  placed  on  the  shoulder  of  a  hypnotized  sub- 
ject and  she  was  told  that  this  would  produce  a 
blister.  The  next  day  several  blisters  appeared 
which  suppurated  freely.  Blisters  were  like- 
wise produced  upon  a  hypnotized  boy  who  was 
made  to  touch  a  cold  stove,  the  subject  being 
given  the  impression  that  the  stove  was  hot.' 
This  subject  is,  however,  of  only  secondary  im- 
portance to  my  subject,  and  I  need  not  pursue 
it  further.  It  does,  however,  indicate  that  there 
is  no  form  of  disease  in  which  moral  and  spirit- 
ual influences  may  not  have  a  beneficial  effect. 
Nevertheless  it  is  well  to  remember  that  a  hot 
stove  will  cause  blisters  as  well  as  suggestion, 
and  that  wounds  in  the  hands  may  be  due  to 
less  spiritual  forces  than  those  which  affected 
St.  Francis. 

^  These  eases  are  cited  from  Bramwell,  Hypnotism,  Its 
History,  Practice  and  Theory,  p.  83.  Instances  may  be 
found  in  almost  any  work  on  hypnotism.  Bramwell  says 
that  he  has  never  been  able  to  produce  a  blister,  but  has 
got  as  far  as  local  redness. 

74 


>■      By  Mental  Suggestion 

It  must  be  frankly  admitted,  nay,  in  view  of 
the  many  cults  which  insist  upon  mental  heal- 
ing alone  for  all  human  ills,  it  needs  to-day  to 
be  loudly  proclaimed,  that  a  bad  mental  state 
may  be  due  wholly  or  chiefly  to  physical  causes, 
in  which  case  the  treatment  must  be  aimed 
mainly  at  the  body.  A  beautiful  illustration  is 
found  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  great  prophet 
Elijah  was  in  the  wilderness  to  the  south  of 
Beersheba.  He  threw  himself  into  the  poor 
shade  of  a  broom-tree,  and  was  so  deeply  de- 
pressed that  death  seemed  the  only  way  out, 
and  he  poured  forth  his  bitter  woe  in  a  prayer 
that  his  God  would  take  away  his  life.  While 
he  slept  an  angel  visited  him — wise,  indeed,  are 
the  angels  of  heaven — and  placed  by  hia  side 
a  loaf  of  bread  and  a  cruse  of  water,  and  waked 
him  with  the  invitation,  "Arise  and  eat,  be- 
cause the  journey  is  too  great  for  thee"  (1 
Kings  19: 1-8).  The  prophet  had  been  threat- 
ened with  death  by  the  outraged  Jezebel,  whose 
seers  he  had  slain.  He  had  fled  in  haste  the 
long  way  from  Samaria  to  the  Judean  wilder- 
ness, and  on  the  journey  had  probably  not 
tasted  food.  His  mental  anguish  under  the 
75 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

circumstances  was  undoubtedly  very  great,  but 
the  angel  was  wise  enough  to  perceive  that  the 
urgent  and  primary  need  was  food  and  drink. 

Those  who  offer  moral  consolation  where 
material  aid  is  required,  who  sit  by  and  demon- 
strate over  a  broken  leg,  who  merely  mumble 
words  over  a  patient  whose  life  is  rapidly  burn- 
ing away  with  a  fever,  who  do  not  realize  that 
a  hot  stove  will  burn  as  well  as  suggestion,  that 
ice  will  cool  as  well  as  words,  and  sometimes 
more  surely  and  quickly,  are  about  as  unreason- 
able and  as  unchristian  as  the  one  scornfully 
described  by  St.  James :  "  If  a  brother  or  sister 
be  naked  and  in  lack  of  daily  food,  and  one  of 
you  say  unto  them.  Go  in  peace,  be  ye  warmed 
and  filled ;  and  yet  ye  give  them  not  the  things 
needful  to  the  body;  what  doth  it  profit?" 
(Jas.  2:15  f.). 

It  is  easy  to  see,  though,  if  we  may  go  back 
a  moment  to  Elijah,  that  hunger  and  thirst  and 
fatigue  were  not  the  whole  of  his  trouble.  They 
were  the  conditions  requiring  immediate  relief, 
but  the  angels  went  further  to  complete  the 
cure,  and  so  they  showed  him  that  he  was  not, 
as  he  had  in  his  despair  supposed,  the  only  wor- 
76 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

shiper  of  God  left  in  the  whole  kingdom  of 
Israel.  I  could  sympathize  with  a  young 
woman  who  calmly  proposed  that  if  I  could  sug- 
gest to  her  an  income  of  $20,000  a  year  she 
would  be  instantly  well,  but  I  was  not  sure  she 
was  right.  For  I  once  had  a  case  of  nervous 
breakdown  which  showed  how  little  material 
treasures  can  minister  to  a  sick  soul.  The 
patient  had  been  prosperous  and  rich,  but  busi- 
ness reverses  had  come  and  left  him  stripped 
as  bare  as  Job.  He  assured  me  that  he  would 
be  all  right  again  if  he  could  be  relieved  of  his 
financial  straits.  While  I  was  treating  him, 
he  reestablished  his  business  footing  with  what 
he  called  "a  handsome  salary,"  and  if  he  called 
it  "handsome,"  heaven  knows  that  it  would 
have  looked  big  to  me.  But  did  the  devil  then 
come  out?  Was  this  a  kind  that  comes  out  by 
silver  and  gold?  No,  there  was  not  a  single 
symptom  of  his  trouble  bettered  in  the  slightest 
degree  by  the  comforting  assurance  that  he 
could  again  "fare  sumptuously  every  day." 
For  the  trouble  was  in  the  heart,  not  in  the 
pocket.  It  is  vain  to  minister  with  material 
gifts  where  spiritual  forces  are  required. 
77 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

The  Cause  of  Insomnia 

What  are  the  forces  then  that  are  responsible 
for  so  much  misery  among  the  sons  of  men? 
To  be  concrete,  what  causes  the  very  common 
ailment  of  insomnia?  Why  is  it  that  most  peo- 
ple go  to  sleep  directly  they  go  to  bed  and  re- 
main in  that  happy  state  the  whole  night 
through,  while  thousands  of  others  roll  on  their 
beds  for  hours  before  sleep  will  come,  or  go  to 
sleep  at  once  and  remain  so  for  two  or  three  or 
four  hours,  and  then  waken  and  try  to  endure 
the  rest  of  the  night  as  best  they  may? 

I  leave  out  of  account  the  relatively  few 
cases  where  there  is  an  acute  condition,  like 
pain  or  emotional  distress,  and  the  number  of 
sufferers  is  not  noticeably  diminished  by  the 
subtraction.  There  are  very  many  people  who 
are  sound  and  well,  and  yet  who  do  not  get  their 
fair  share  of  that  blessed  gift  of  God.  Well, 
how  do  the  sufferers  themselves  explain  it?  I 
cite  a  few  samples.  Some  say  coffee  keeps  them 
awake.  They  must  have  been  reading  adver- 
tisements in  the  trolley  cars  telling  of  what 
78 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

dreadful  things  coffee  does  to  men  and  recom- 
mending a  substitute.  Coffee  must  indeed  be  a 
powerful  drug  if  a  tiny  cup  drunk  at  seven 
o'clock  can  bar  the  advent  of  sleep  four  hours 
later.  Then  in  spite  of  the  advertisement  there 
are  still  quite  a  few  people  that  stick  to  the  old- 
fashioned  drink,  and  many  of  them  to  my  cer- 
tain knowledge  are  exceedingly  good  sleepers. 

Many  others  attribute  insomnia  to  fatigue. 
It  is  proclaimed  as  an  indisputable  fact  that 
great  weariness  banishes  sleep.  Here,  too,  I 
have  to  confess  that  "I  am  from  Missouri."  I 
read  the  other  day  of  some  English  troops  re- 
leased from  a  long  period  in  the  fearful  trenches 
and  going  toward  rude  shelters  in  the  rear  for 
rest.  They  were  so  dead  beat  that  they  did  not 
wait  to  reach  a  building,  but  threw  themselves 
down  by  the  roadside  and  sank  at  once  into  deep 
slumber,  though  at  the  time  it  was  raining  hard ! 
Some  of  Scott's  men,  on  that  ill-fated  Antarctic 
expedition,  striving  hard  to  get  back  to  their 
camp,  became  so  tired  that  they  slept  while  in 
their  traces,  hauling  sleds.  The  fact  is  that 
fatigue  is  naturally  one  of  the  best  known  con- 
79 


The  Eelief  op  Pain 

ditions  to  induce  sleep.  So  we  see  cliildren, 
exhausted  by  long  hours  at  work  or  play,  that 
cannot  be  prodded  into  wakefulness. 

Another  explanation  of  wakeful  nights  is 
noise,  the  machinery  in  a  hotel,  the  autos  and 
trolleys  in  the  streets,  the  rumbling,  rattling 
and  banging  of  a  train,  the  snoring  of  a  neigh- 
bor, or  even  the  ticking  of  a  clock.  But  the 
jaded  soldiers  sleep  in  the  trenches  of  Europe 
when  they  can  get  a  chance,  and  from  what  I 
have  read  there  must  be  some  noise  there,  espe- 
cially when  a  bombardment  is  in  progress,  and 
that  seems  to  be  all  the  time.  Our  Lord  slept 
very  deeply  on  a  little  boat  on  the  sea  of  Galilee 
in  a  fearful  storm ;  with  the  wind  howling,  with 
the  rigging  creaking,  with  the  sailors  rushing 
and  shouting  and  possibly  swearing,  the  stern 
of  that  ship  could  not  have  been  a  very  quiet 
place  to  sleep.  The  usual  noises  of  the  night, 
noises  we  are  familiar  with  and  which  do  not 
concern  us,  ought  not  to  keep  anybody  awake.' 

^A  patient  who  came  to  me  for  insomnia  said  she  was 
goinsj  to  move  to  another  room,  liecause  the  one  she  occupied 
was  in  a  noisy  part  of  the  hotel.  I  told  her  that  she  mnst 
remain  in  that  room  until  she  learned  to  sleep  there,  then 
she  might  move  if  she   liked.     This  Spartanlike  message 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

What  is  it  then  that  does  the  mischief?  The 
answer  is  that  it  is  an  idea.  We  may  call  it 
habit,  expectation,  fear,  or  what  we  like,  but  the 
real  cause  of  the  sleepless  nights  is  something 
in  the  mind.  One  of  our  most  prominent 
bishops  told  me  of  his  great  suffering  from  in- 
somnia, and  asked  me  why  he  couldn't  sleep. 
My  reply  may  have  sounded  impertinent,  but 
it  was  true:  "Because  of  your  little  faith." 
One  bad  night  begets  another,  because  it  creates 
the  expectation  of  another,  and  in  this  delicate 
phenomenon  of  life,  prediction  surely  tends  to 
fulfil  itself. 

The  truth  is  pretty  evident  in  the  case  of  those 
unfortunates  who  awake  at  a  more  or  less  fixed 
hour  in  the  night.  For  man  long  ago  discov- 
ered the  fact  that  he  can  train  himself  to  wake 
up  at  the  hour  at  which  he  wishes  to  rise.    He 

amazed  her,  but  it  produced  the  desired  effect,  and  she  did 
not  move. 

A  young  girl  complained  that  noises  kept  her  awake. 
At  the  moment  a  wagon  was  slowly  unloading  coal  under 
my  window.  I  told  the  maiden  that  she  could  hardly  find 
a  more  trying  noise  than  that  at  night,  and  that  if  she  would 
put  her  head  back  in  the  chair  and  close  her  eyes  she  would 
soon  go  to  sleep.  My  prediction  was  fulfilled,  and  the 
child's  troubles  were  ended. 

81 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

does  it  by  impressing  upon  his  mind  the  time 
he  must  awaken.  But  the  same  result  follows 
from  unconsciously  fixing  in  the  mind  an  hour 
at  which  one  expects  to  awaken,  little  as  one 
desires  it.  After  all,  the  proof  of  the  pudding 
is  the  eating  of  it,  and  this  theory  of  the  cause 
of  insomnia  finds  its  best  justification  in  the 
ease  with  which  it  can  usually  be  cured.  Here 
let  it  suffice  to  add  that  as  we  find  that  lack  of 
faith  is  the  commonest  cause  of  poor  sleeping, 
this  ailment  comes  into  close  relation  to  the 
sovereign  remedy  insisted  on  by  our  Lord. 

Eay  Fever 
Many  other  functional  ailments  are  to  be  ac- 
counted for  in  the  same  way.  Though  I  be 
deemed  as  mad  as  Columbus  when  he  proposed 
to  sail  around  the  world,  I  shall  nevertheless 
boldly  assert  that  hay  fever  is  a  disease  of 
psychic  induction.  There  are  several  facts 
which  give  mighty  support  to  my  contention. 
This  malady  often  comes  on  the  patient  on  a 
certain  day  of  the  year.  Now  the  nasal  pas- 
sages do  not  watch  the  calendar,  but  the  mind 
does,  especially  when  something  important  is 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

expected.  Again,  hay  fever  has  many  supposed 
causes;  pollen  from  plants,  dust,  fog,  and  cold 
winds  all  do  the  trick;  but,  and  let  this  sink 
into  our  minds,  one  person  contracts  it  from 
dust,  but  not  from  fog;  another  from  pollen, 
but  not  from  cold  wind,  and  some  people  will 
not  catch  it  from  all  four  combined.  The  nasal 
passages  in  all  people  are  essentially  alike,  but 
the  ideas  which  work  in  our  minds  are  different. 
Then  further,  certain  places  are  not  only  im- 
mune, but  sufferers  who  seek  these  havens  are 
cured.  Are  there  any  places  free  from  pollen 
or  dust  or  fog  or  cold  winds?  At  all  events 
there  are  few  places  clear  of  pernicious  mental 
influences. 

I  have  already  described  a  case  in  which  an 
acute  attack  of  hay  fever  was  brought  on  by 
hypnotic  suggestion,  a  case  that  proves  that 
the  disease  can  be  produced  by  psychic  forces. 
It  is  a  reasonable  inference  that  hay  fever  is 
always  ^  thus  to  be  explained. 

The  manner  of  the  development  of  the  malady 

^  This  word  may  seem  too  sweeping.     It  is  possible  that 

there  is  a  hay  fever  of  an  organic  type,  but  I  believe  it  very 

rare.     In  treating  nn  acute  and  severe  attack  I  have  seen 

every  trace  of  the  disease  disappear  in  a  few  hours. 

83 


The  Relief  op  Pain 

points  to  the  same  conclusion.  Here  is  the 
story  of  a  bishop  who  is  a  victim.  Bishops 
apparently  are  not  immune  from  pernicious 
mental  influences.  Several  years  ago  he  had 
occasion  to  take  a  long  ride  over  a  dusty  road 
on  a  still,  hot  day.  When  he  returned  there 
was  much  inflammation  in  the  eyes  and  nose. 
He  went  to  a  physician  who  diagnosed  hay  fever 
and  assured  the  patient  that  he  would  have 
an  attack  every  year,  unless  he  safeguarded 
himself  by  going  in  time  to  a  place  that  was 
immune.  The  prediction  has  been  literally 
fulfilled. 

I  have  not  treated  very  many  sufferers  from 
this  disorder,  but  the  almost  invariably  good 
results  of  the  use  of  psychotherapy  confirms 
my  judgment  as  to  the  character  of  the  disease. 
For  I  do  not  believe  that  similar  beneficial  ef- 
fects could  be  obtained  say  in  a  case  of  true 
influenza. 

Psychic  Production  of  Other  Ailments 
What  is  true  in  the  cases  I  have  described  at 
length,  applies  to  a  host  of  other  functional  dis- 
84 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

orders;  the  so-called  nervous  indigestion, 
asthmatic  affections,  the  vast  majority  of  com- 
mon colds,  nervous  headaches  and  numerous 
other  pains  in  various  parts  of  the  body,  consti- 
pation, writer 's  cramp  and  all  other  habit  pains, 
are  due  to  an  idea  in  the  subconscious  mind. 
There  is  indeed  in  all  these  cases  a  more  or  less 
profound  disturbance  in  the  body,  but  the  real 
seat  of  the  disorder  is  in  the  mind,  and  the 
trouble  can  never  be  remedied  except  by  some 
agent,  whether  it  is  a  drug,  massage,  electricity, 
the  laying  on  of  hands,  or  suggestion,  which  will 
produce  an  effect  upon  the  mind. 

These  psychic  disorders  are  contracted  in  one 
of  two  ways.  They  may  come  from  an  original 
attack  where  the  cause  was  physical.  A  person 
overeats  and  suffers  in  consequence.  He  sol- 
aces his  conscience  by  attributing  his  indiges- 
tion, say,  to  stewed  onions.  Some  time  after- 
wards he  eats  stewed  onions  again,  and  soon  he 
is  conscious  of  the  unpleasant  fact  that  he  has 
a  stomach.  Of  course,  every  person  under 
such  circumstances  protests  that  he  never 
thought  of  his  former  attack;  but  we  must  re- 
85 


The  Relief  op  Pain 

member  that  the  subcongcious  ,mia4»,  ottce  gra^p-r 
ing  an  idea,  never  lets  it  go  until  it  is  pried 
loose  by  a  mighty  tool. 

Or  they  may  come  from  association,  that  is 
really  by  suggestion.  That  is  the  way  the  poor 
hysterics  contract  their  innumerable  maladies. 
One  of  my  patients  came  to  me  one  day  saying 
that  she  had  a  new  disease,  a  cancer  in 
the  breast.  Fortunately  she  was  enlightened 
enough  to  know  the  real  character  of  her  ail- 
ment, and  there  was  no  tragedy.  She  had  been 
for  several  days  with  a  dear  friend  who  was 
dying  with  that  dread  scourge,  and  the  situation 
was  very  distressing  because  she  had  labored  in 
vain  to  secure  for  the  sufferer  such  relief  as 
medicine  could  give.  The  result  was  pyschic 
contagion  and  she  had  exactly  the  same  pain 
that  her  friend  had,  but  happily  she  did  not 
have  the  cancer  that  her  friend  had,  and  the 
pain  was  easily  relieved. 

In  all  these  ailments  there  is  a  common  fea- 
ture. The  sufferer  has  lost  faith  in  the  normal 
working  of  some  part  of  the  complicated  and 
marvelously  contrived  human  organism.  By 
losing  sleep  we  lose  faith  in  our  power  to  sleep ; 
86 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

by  repeatedly  taking  cold,  we  lose  faith  in  our 
power  to  resist  cold;  by  having  a  pain  in  the 
fingers  we  lose  faith  in  the  ability  of  our  fingers 
to  hold  a  pen ;  by  a  few  scattered  attacks  of  in- 
digestion we  lose  faith  in  the  power  of  the  di- 
gestive organs;  just  as  by  a  few  bad  drives, 
we  lose  faith  in  our  ability  to  hit  a  golf  ball. 
In  the  great  business  of  life  as  well  as  in  golf, 
we  are  often  "off  our  game,"  and,  with  the 
usual  measures  for  recovery,  we  are  likely  to 
stay  off  for  a  long  while. 

A  few  things  I  trust  are  plain  now:  that 
these  disorders  are  no  jokes;  they  are  real, 
painful  and  obstinate ;  that  their  very  character 
and  cause  shows  conclusively  that  there  ought 
to  be  some  means  by  which  they  can  certainly 
be  cured;  and  that  their  character  and  cause 
show  that  the  remedy  loudly  indicated  is  a 
moral  force  sufficient  to  restore  the  particularly 
needed  faith.  The  modern  psychotherapeutist 
might  use  to  every  patient  he  cures  the  very 
words  of  Jesus,  "Thy  faith  hath  made  thee 
whole."  The  problem  is  to  kindle  the  en- 
feebled faith,  just  where  it  is  needed.  Anybody 
that  can  do  that  may  heal  multitudes  of  diseases. 
87 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

Surely  the  power  to  arouse  faith  ought  to  be 
found  in  the  Church  of  God.  If  the  clergy  can- 
not cure  some  of  the  sick,  it  is  not  because  we 
are  nineteen  centuries  too  late,  but  because  of 
our  little  faith. 


CHAPTER  III 

Functional  Mental  Disorders 

WE  have  considered  briefly  a  type  of 
functional  disorders  in  which  the  body 
is  affected.  We  saw  that  the  manifestation  of 
the  trouble  was  a  derangement  of  the  normal 
working  of  the  physical  organism,  though  the 
cause  of  the  disability  is  in  the  mind.  Hence 
it  was  urged  that  the  cure  must  be  effected  by 
bringing  to  bear  a  sufficiently  compelling  moral 
force  working  upon  the  mind. 

There  is  another  class  of  disturbances  in 
which  the  body  is  practically  unaffected,  but  in 
which  there  is  very  real  and  sometimes  acute 
distress  in  the  mental  sphere.  These  are  the 
psychopathic,  as  distiug-uished  from  the  psycho- 
neurotic or  psychosomatic,  diseases. 

It  is  necessary  to  draw  a  sharp  distinction 
between  these  maladies  and  cases  of  tme  in- 
sanity, a  differentiation  sometimes  requiring  all 
the  skill  of  an  expert.  Just  as  a  hysterical  and 
89 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

an  organic  tumor  are  closely  alike,  just  as  hay 
fever  and  influenza  bear  a  striking  resemblance, 
so  some  of  these  purely  psychopathic  diseases 
border  so  closely  on  true  mental  diseases  that 
they  almost  deceive  the  elect.  Yet  there  is  a 
broad  gulf  fixed  between  them,  and  the  harmless 
cases  do  not  cross  the  danger  line,  though  their 
victims  often  fear  that  they  will.  "Were  I  to 
describe  some  of  the  symptoms  of  severe  cases 
that  I  have  seen,  most  people  would  say  that  the 
sufferers  were  mentally  unbalanced,  and  yet 
they  had  not  the  slightest  taint  of  insanity. 

The  use  of  nomenclature  is  often  helpful. 
Somehow  we  grasp  a  thing  better  when  we  give 
it  a  name.  To  give  them  their  titles,  the  three 
well-known  and  all-comprehending  functional 
disorders  are  neurasthenia,  psychasthenia,  and 
hysteria.  In  neurasthenia  the  disturbances  are 
chiefly  in  the  body,  in  psychasthenia  they  are 
chiefly  in  the  mind,  while  in  hysteria  they  are 
both  in  the  body  and  in  the  mind.  In  the  cases 
where  the  mind  is  affected  the  disturbance  is 
purely  functional,  while  in  true  insanity  the 
brain  itself  is  usually  diseased.  Of  course,  a 
diseased  brain  may  be  cured,  like  a  diseased 
90 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

liver,  but  brain  diseases  are  too  difficult  for  the 
clergy,  and  their  treatment  would  take  us  out  of 
our  sphere ;  accordingly  I  should  be  as  unwilling 
to  treat  a  case  of  true  melancholia  as  to  attempt 
to  set  a  broken  leg. 

It  is  different  with  the  innocent  cases.  And 
yet,  if  we  have  some  experience  with  them,  as 
we  see  the  severe  mental  pain,  and  think  of  try- 
ing to  cure  them,  we  may  well  ask,  "Who  is 
sufficient  for  these  things?"  Almost  any  one 
might  take  hold  of  a  case  of  nervous  dyspepsia ; 
if  a  cure  is  not  wrought,  at  least  no  harm  will 
be  done.  But  the  mind  is  more  delicate  than 
the  body,  and  blundering  efforts  to  relieve  men- 
tal distress  often  make  the  last  state  of  that 
man  worse  than  the  first.  Greater  care  is 
needed  in  dealing  with  the  mind  in  all  condi- 
tions, but  especially  the  mental  impressions  in 
childhood  should  be  jealously  safeguarded,  for 
then  the  mind  is  at  its  most  impressionable 
state.  Yet  at  this  very  stage  it  is  subject  to 
such  influences  as  come  from  ignorant  parents, 
incapable  ^  teachers,  worthless  governesses,  and 

'  The  teachers  are  capable  enouffh  in  their  knowledge  of 
the  subjects  of  instruction,  but  not  always  in  their  under- 

91 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

evil  companions.  None  of  us  wholly  escapes 
the  baneful  influences,  and  that  we  are  not  all 
miserable  psychasthenics  shows  that  when  God 
made  the  human  mind,  and  looked  upon  His 
work,  behold,  it  was  very  good. 

Some  of  the  Symptoms 
In  the  psychopathic  cases  a  very  common  and 
relatively  mild  symptom  is  the  impairment  of 
the  power  of  concentration.  Normally  the  mind 
should  be  as  subject  to  the  will  as  the  hand. 
At  times  we  all  find  that  the  will  does  not  con- 
trol, and  the  mind  rushes  off  where  it  will.  If 
the  mind  is  absorbed  with  a  big  affair,  it  re- 
fuses to  dwell  long  upon  any  other  subject. 
The  mother  of  a  very  sick  child  finds  great  difB- 
culty  in  reading  a  poem  of  Browning's.  But  in 
the  extreme  cases,  the  sufferer  cannot  keep  the 
mind  on  anything  save  his  own  woes.  He  can- 
not read  even  an  exciting  novel,  he  cannot 
listen,  he  cannot  think,  he  cannot  pray.  The 
mind  has  broken  loose  from  control  and  runs 
whithersoever  it  will.     And  under  these  condi- 

stancUng  of  the  child.  For  that  matter  very  few  people  are 
experts  in  the  psychology  of  the  child. 

92 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

tions  it  seems  to  go  any  way  but  the  right 
way. 

Again,  these  sufferers  are  sometimes  the  vic- 
tims of  compulsive  ideas.  The  deeds  done 
under  this  internal  constraint  seem  as  foolish  to 
them,  as  to  their  neighbors,  and  yet,  struggle  as 
they  will,  they  cannot  resist  the  compelling  idea. 
They  go  back  again  and  again  to  see  that  the 
door  is  locked,  or  that  the  gas  is  turned  off. 
They  pick  up  every  scrap  from  the  floor  or 
street,  lest  it  might  be  a  match  or  a  banana- 
peel.  They  wash  their  hands  more  industri- 
ously than  Pilate  and  Lady  Macbeth  combined, 
and  yet  if  they  touch  certain  objects,  they  go 
and  wash  again — usually  secretly,^  for  they  like 
the  cruel  gibes  of  their  neighbors  a  bit  less  than 
other  people;  they  are  always  sensitive  and 
they  have  been  the  butt  of  much  ridicule,  a 

*  Some  friends  temporarily  residing  in  a  New  York  hotel 
have  told  me  of  a  lady  ■who  requires  her  waiter  to  bring  a 
basin  of  hot  water  and  in  her  presence  wash  every  plate, 
cup,  saucer,  Icnife,  fork  and  spoon  which  she  will  use  in 
connection  with  her  meals.  The  other  diners  look  upon  her 
as  a  consummate  crank.  The  chances  are,  however,  that  the 
real  cause  of  her  extraordinary  actions  is  a  psychic  dis- 
turbance. In  her  case  there  is  nothing  secret  about  the 
actions  resulting  from  the  compulsive  ideas,  though  she 
probably  could  not  tell  the  true  ground  of  her  actions. 

93 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

treatment  by  the  way  that  never  does  good 
and  often  does  harm.  Laugh  with  them  if 
you  can  get  the  chance,  but  never  laugh  at 
them. 

The  most  common  symptom  in  psychasthenia 
is  the  presence  of  phobias.  Phobia  is  nothing 
but  the  Greek  word  for  fear.  A  phobia,  how- 
ever, is  a  fear  under  conditions  in  which  there  is 
either  no  danger  at  all,  or  it  is  so  infinitesimal 
as  to  be  negligible.  Thus  a  person  may  be  in 
mortal  terror  in  traversing  an  open  place,  but 
will  be  completely  at  ease  if  there  is  a  wall  or 
fence  hard  by.  Another  is  absolutely  normal 
when  there  is  abundant  elbow  room,  but  falls 
into  a  panic  in  a  narrow  place.  Some  people 
cannot  ride  in  the  subway,  but  do  not  mind  a 
trolley;  they  loathe  express  trains  with  their 
long  continuous  runs,  but  love  the  accommoda- 
tion, and  the  oftener  it  stops  the  better  they  are 
pleased.  Some  people  will  ride  in  a  fast  train 
or  speeding  automobile  without  a  qualm,  but 
shudder  with  horror  at  the  ferry  boat.  Some 
persons  do  not  mind  a  hurricane  or  blizzard,  but 
are  undone  with  terror  in  a  thunder  shower. 
There  are  people  who  are  at  ease  if  singing 
94 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

alone,  but  who  are  fairly  paralyzed  when  facing 
an  audience.^ 

Nearly  all  of  us  are  afraid  of  disease.  If  it  is 
not  conscience,  what  does  make  such  cowards  of 
us  all?  Look  at  the  extreme  panic  last  summer 
in  view  of  a  comparatively  few  cases  of  infantile 
paralysis ;  look  at  the  demand  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  individual  cups  in  the  Holy  Communion. 
Or,  better  still,  look  into  your  own  heart.  But 
in  the  true  pathological  cases,  there  is  a  con- 
stant dread  of  disease,  and  the  life  is  given  up 
largely  to  prophylactic  measures.  I  knew  a 
person  whose  fear  of  infectious  disease  was  so 
pronounced  that  she  could  not  shake  hands  with 
me  at  the  church  door  after  I  had  greeted  a 
number  of  other  people.  Let  a  person's  heart 
palpitate  a  bit  from  walking  too  fast  up  a  hill, 
and  he  is  in  terror  lest  he  drop  dead  some  day. 
A  branch  of  this  phobia  is  the  dread  of  being 

^  Stage  fright  is  very  common  off  tbe  stage.  It  is  tbe 
true  explanation  of  the  disquiet  in  all  cases  where  people  are 
ill  affected  by  the  presence  of  other  people.  Sometimes  one 
person  suffices  for  an  audience.  I  had  a  case  of  a  man  who 
oould  scarcely  write  his  name  if  anybody  were  watching 
him.  Many  golfers  find  great  difficulty  at  tbe  first  tee, 
where  there  is  apt  to  be  a  galleiy.  Stammering  is  essen- 
tially a  species  of  stage  fright. 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

alone,  an  affliction  which  limits  the  activity  and 
impairs  the  usefulness  and  wrecks  the  happi- 
ness of  more  people  than  we  realize. 

I  have  by  no  means  exhausted  the  symptoms 
seen  in  psychopathic  disorders,  but  I  have  de- 
scribed enough  to  make  it  evident  that  the  real 
cause  of  the  trouble  in  every  case  is  fear.  Back 
of  the  feeble  concentration,  back  of  the  compel- 
ling ideas,  back  of  loss  of  memory,  back  of  all 
obsessions,  and  back  of  and  in  all  phobias,  is 
groundless  fear.  The  wretched  victims  of  these 
maladies  know  very  well  that  "he  that  hath 
fear  hath  torment."  St.  John  says  that  "per- 
fect love  casteth  out  fear. "  In  the  pathological 
cases,  perfect  faith  will  go  much  further.  In 
all  of  these  disorders  we  discover  a  singular 
lack  of  confidence.  If  physicians  enjoy  bettet 
health  than  others,  it  is  not  due  so  much  to  their 
medical  knowledge  as  to  their  lack  of  fear. 
Their  body  and  their  brain  remain  whole  be- 
cause familiarity  with  disease  has  bred  con- 
tempt. The  less  our  fear  and  the  more  abun- 
dant our  faith,  the  sounder  will  be  our  health 
of  body  and  mind. 

But  suppose  fear  has  crept  upon  us  insidi- 
96 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

ously  and  our  faith  is  weakened,  and  we  have 
reached  a  pathological  state,  how  is  the  fear  to 
be  destroyed  and  the  faith  built  up  ? 

Suggestion 
In  all  of  these  functional  disorders,  especially 
those  in  which  the  body  is  affected,  cures  have 
been  wrought  in  all  ages  by  a  thousand  differ- 
ent agencies.  The  primitive  medicine  man,  the 
sorcerer,  the  herb  doctor,  the  vendor  of  patent 
medicines,  osteopathy,  medical  science,  prayer, 
anointing  with  oil.  New  Thought,  Christian 
Science,  all  the  cults  of  faith  and  mental  heal- 
ing, have  genuine  testimonials  of  real  cures.^ 
From  this  fact  it  would  seem  as  if  relief  were 
very  easy,  and  so  it  is  sometimes,  if  one  hits  on 
a  lucky  device,  but  often  the  finding  of  the  ef- 
fective cure  taxes  one's  brain  and  heart  to  the 
utmost. 

1  The  disease  cured  is,  however,  not  always  what  the  heal- 
ers claim,  for  they  fail  to  discriminate  between  the  func- 
tional and  orsranic  disorders.  They  claim  to  heal  organic 
disease,  even  broken  bones,  but  there  is  vast  room  for  skep- 
ticism in  rejrard  to  the  diaa^iosis.  I  could  ea.sily  claim  to 
have  cured  heart  disease,  and  could  have  seerainjrly  good 
testimony  to  the  gravity  of  the  condition,  and  to  the  reality 
of  the  cure.  What  I  actually  cured  was  the  fear  of  heart 
disease,  and  the  removal  of  the  fear  resulted  in  the  normal 
functioning  of  the  heart. 

97 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

Still  it  is  true  that  a  thousand  and  one  reme- 
dies have  proved  effective.  But  they  do  not 
represent  a  thousand  and  one  healing  elements ; 
we  can  leave  off  the  thousand  and  they  reduce 
to  just  one  single  therapeutic  agent  and  that  is 
known  to-day  as  suggestion.  There  are  a  thou- 
sand indirect  ways  of  using  suggestion,  besides 
the  direct  way,  and  so  we  make  our  balance 
sheet  correct.  The  direct  way,  however,  is  ordi- 
narily the  best  way. 

I  wish  there  were  some  clear,  simple  terms 
by  which  we  could  define  suggestion,  but  the 
thing  is  so  comprehensive  that  it  is  better  to 
approach  the  subject  by  an  inductive  method. 
We  will  see  suggestion  at  work  in  a  few  forms, 
and  thus  will  perceive  best  what  it  is.  Inci- 
dentally we  shall  thus  learn  something  of  its 
application. 

A  woman  was  under  treatment  for  alcoholism. 
I  hypnotized  her,  and,  among  the  many  things 
said,  told  her  that  henceforth  alcohol  would  act 
upon  her  as  a  quick  and  powerful  emetic.  A 
full  year  afterwards  she  drank  a  glass  of  sherry, 
and  at  once  became  miserably  sick.  Here  we 
98 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

See  two  effects  of  suggestion.  In  the  first  place 
the  hypnosis  was  induced  by  suggestion.  The 
subject  fell  into  that  state  because  she  was  told 
she  would.  We  notice  this  suggestion  took  ef- 
fect, or  at  least  the  effect  began,  while  the  sub- 
ject was  in  the  normal  waking  state.  The  other 
suggestion  enters  the  mind  of  the  patient  while 
she  is  asleep.  To  discourage  the  use  of  alcohol 
the  idea  was  impressed  upon  her  mind  that  in- 
toxicating beverages  would  disagree  with  her, 
and  this  idea  evidently  took  tenacious  hold. 

It  is  expedient  to  digress  for  a  moment  to  say 
that  this  case  is  cited  to  illustrate  what  sugges- 
tion is,  not  to  indicate  the  correct  treatment  for 
inebriety.  To  most  drunkards  we  could  rele- 
vantly quote  a  line  from  a  Psalm,  "Whereas 
thou  hatest  to  be  reformed";  but  those  who 
want  to  give  up  drink  and  have  tried — and 
many  of  them  have  tried  so  hard — ^have  lost 
faith  in  the  existence  of  forces  strong  enough 
to  cope  with  certain  human  weaknesses.  Above 
everything  else  they  need  repeated  reassurance 
that  God  has  endowed  man  with  a  strength  ade- 
quate to  conquer  all  evil  desires.     Suggestions 


The  Relief  op  Pain 

aiming  to  develop  tlie  moral  energy  are  those 
upon  which  we  rely  most  confidently.^ 

The  nature  of  suggestion  may  be  further 
illustrated  by  an  example  of  a  diiTerent  kind. 
A  man  told  me  that  he  had  suffered  continu- 
ously for  twelve  days  from  severe  headache.  I 
took  out  my  watch  and  said  to  him  that  we 
would  represent  a  day  by  a  minute  and  I  then 
assured  him  positively  that  at  the  end  of  twelve 
minutes  the  pain  would  cease,  an  assurance  that 
happily  worked  like  magic.  The  headache  was 
cured  by  suggestion  given  in  the  waking  state. 
Parenthetically  I  may  add  that  while  I  have  re- 
lieved hundreds  of  headaches  by  suggestion,  I 
never  ventured  to  employ  that  particular 
method  again,  for  such  a  procedure  is  pretty 
risky  of  one's  reputation.  Fertility  in  devising 
methods  is  a  great  asset  to  the  suggestionist. 

^  Drunkards  have  often  been  reformed  by  the  religious 
appeal  alone,  as  may  be  seen  by  a  visit  to  the  Bowery  Mis- 
sion, or  any  similar  institution  working  among  the  sub- 
merged; or  by  reading  Begbie's  Twice  Born  Men.  They 
have  often  been  cured  by  suggestion  alone,  as  many  phy- 
sicians and  experimental  psychologists  can  testify.  But  it 
is  well  to  emphasize  a  remark  made  to  me  by  a  young  doc- 
tor engaged  in  psychotherapeutic  work,  that  we  had  a  great 
advantage  over  him  in  that  we  could  make  free  use  of  the 
religious  appeal. 

100 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

Abundant  illuminating  illustrations  of  sug- 
gestion are  found  in  daily  life,  in  work  or  play. 
Let  us  take  one  from  play.  In  a  golf  tourna- 
ment I  was  drawn  as  partner  for  a  two-ball 
mixed  foursome  by  a  lady  with  so  decided  a 
nervous  temperament  that  she  was  easily  put 
off  her  game.  As  I  had  been  told  of  this  con- 
dition, I  watched  every  moment  of  the  round 
for  signs  of  trouble,  and  was  alert  to  offer  a 
word  of  encouragement  and  confidence  when 
needed.  The  lady  played  so  steadily  that  we 
were  the  victors,  and  apparently  the  cups  we 
won  were  chiefly  the  fruit  of  suggestion.  Fur- 
ther, it  is  probable  that,  in  the  efforts  to  steady 
my  partner,  I  steadied  myself. 

In  this  fascinating  and  aggravating  game  we 
often  notice  the  power  of  pernicious  suggestion. 
At  a  certain  course  the  first  drive  is  over  a  pond 
some  forty  yards  wide.  Now,  a  carry  of  forty 
yards  clear  of  the  ground  ought  to  be  easy  for 
a  child,  but  I  have  seen  a  good  player  send  eight 
successive  balls  into  that  little  pond.  The  water 
makes  a  powerful  suggestion  for  a  topped  shot, 
and  many  players  accept  the  pernicious  invita- 
tion. The  various  bunkers  which  plentifully 
101 


The  Eelief  op  Pain 

adorn  most  golf  links  serve  as  mental  hazards 
as  much  as  physical  obstructions.  Any  player 
has  discovered  that  if  he  makes  a  few  bad  drives 
from  a  particular  tee  he  is  likely  always  to  slice 
or  pull  or  top  from  that  position.  By  auto- 
suggestion he  has  destroyed  his  confidence  for 
that  particular  play.^ 

A  suggestion  may  often  be  reinforced  by  em- 
ploying a  material  agency.  I  have  occasionally 
succeeded  in  relieving  an  obstinate  headache  by 
placing  my  hands  upon  the  patient's  head,  after 
I  had  failed  by  verbal  suggestion  alone.  The 
blisters  produced  by  hypnotic  suggestion  ^  were 
due  to  the  plaster  or  the  contact  with  the  stove 
combined  with  the  verbal  suggestion.  A  physi- 
cian told  me  that  he  administered  an  innocent 
compound  resembling  morphia  to  patients  who 
had  been  wont  to  go  to  sleep  under  the  influence 
of  that  powerful  drug ;  and  the  desired  effect  of 
sleep  was  produced  by  the  substituted  mixture 

^  In  all  frames  i-equiring  personal  skill  the  psycholoarieal 
element  plays  a  large  part.  Matthewson's  Pitch  in cj  in  a 
Pinch  is  interestina:  and  illuminating  to  the  student  of  psy- 
chology as  well  as  to  the  lover  of  sports.  It  is  pretty  evi- 
dent that  in  all  games  of  skill  players  would  find  their 
ability  increased  by  the  use  of  suggestion. 

2  See  p.  74. 

102 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

as  well  as  by  the  morphia  though  the  mixture 
contained  no  sleep-producing  drug.  This  fact 
explains  the  many  wonderful  cures  by  patent 
medicines,  and  possibly  a  great  many  from  care- 
fully compounded  prescriptions.  It  makes 
quite  intelligible  the  real  reason  why  the  apos- 
tolic habit  of  anointing  the  sick  with  consecrated 
oil  is  often  followed  by  marked  improvement  or 
complete  recovery.  Even  though  it  is  a  bit  an-- 
ticipatory,  we  may  see  clearly  now  that  the 
handkerchief  carried  from  St.  Paul's  body  to 
the  sick  (Acts  19 :  2)  might  easily  have  conveyed 
healing  suggestions.  The  same  method  has 
been  pursued  by  various  mountebanks,  and 
sometimes  I  believe  with  surprising  results. 

A.    Suggestion  and  the  Healing  of  Jesus 

Dare  we  now  intimate  that  we  have  found  the 
key  to  the  wonderful  cures  wrought  by  our 
Lord  and  by  his  disciples?  Is  it  possible  that 
they  relieved  pain,  not  by  a  power  to  work 
miracles,  but  by  the  application  of  a  universal 
psychological  law?  If  we  may  not  make  a  posi- 
tive afSrmation,  we  may  say  that  the  methods 
of  Jesus  are  those  of  a  past  master  in  the  art 
103 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

of  suggestion ;  and  we  have  seen  that  his  disci- 
ples followed  his  methods  very  closely.  There 
is  scarcely  a  cure  in  the  Bible  records  which 
offers  the  slightest  difficulty  to  the  student  well 
acquainted  with  the  principles  of  suggestion. 
A  study  of  one  or  two  of  these  cases  will  make 
the  matter  clear. 

We  will  begin  with  the  lame  man  at  * '  the  door 
of  the  temple  called  Beautiful"  (Acts  3: 1-10). 
St.  Peter  starts  by  "fastening  his  eyes  upon" 
the  cripple.  The  first  step  is  to  study  the 
patient  to  see  whether  he  is  a  promising  sub- 
ject, whether  there  is  a  germ  of  faith  that  may 
be  kindled  into  activity,  and  to  determine  the 
wisest  point  of  approach,  a  matter  of  no  small 
importance  in  psychotherapy.  The  apostle 
takes  the  second  step  by  giving  a  command  to 
the  patient,  "Look  on  us,"  the  object  of  which 
is  to  fix  his  attention  and  raise  his  expecta- 
tion. The  cripple  looked  up  and  his  hope  was 
aroused,  but  it  was  aiming  in  the  wrong  di- 
rection, and  therefore  the  third  step  was  to 
disabuse  the  sufferer's  mind  of  any  idea  of 
material  aid;  and  so  St.  Peter  said,  "Silver  and 
gold  have  I  none. "  The  fourth  step  is  to  assure 
104 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

the  cripple  tbat  the  apostle  is  not  playing  with 
him,  but  has  some  real  help  to  offer ;  therefore 
he  adds,  "But  what  I  have  that  give  I  thee." 
Then  the  stage  has  been  reached  when  a 
therapeutic  idea  may  be  put  in  the  patient's 
mind,  to  which  end  the  apostle  says  emphati- 
cally, "In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth, 
walk."  The  poor  cripple  must  have  been 
astonished  at  a  command  to  do  what  he  had 
never  been  able  to  do  in  his  life.  He  had  pre- 
sumably heard  of  the  sick  healed  by  Jesus  and 
by  his  disciples,  and  the  terse  and  vigorous 
command  evidently  made  its  intended  impres- 
sion on  his  mind ;  but  the  influence  did  not  reach 
his  feet,  for  he  lay  there  as  helpless  as  ever. 
Finally  St.  Peter  shows  his  own  undaunted 
faith  in  the  power  of  his  Lord,  and  makes  the 
supreme  effort  to  communicate  his  faith  to  his 
subject;  he  takes  him  by  the  right  hand  and 
gently  but  insistently  raises  him  to  his  feet, 
and  the  ankles  at  last  are  persuaded  to  perform 
their  office ;  the  erstwhile  cripple  discovers  that 
he  can  stand  alone,  and  like  a  child  who  has 
taken  the  first  unaided  steps  he  displays  his 
newly  won  physical  power  by  walking  and  leap- 
105 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

ing,  and  he  displays  his  newly  won  spiritual 
power  by  offering  praise  to  God. 

We  can  see  the  possibility  of  the  same  princi- 
ple in  operation  in  any  instance  of  healing  by 
our  Lord.  He  commands  the  invalids  to  do 
the  thing  they  have  been  unable  to  do,  and  often 
reenforces  his  word  by  a  manual  act.  Some- 
times he  employs  the  manual  act  alone ;  and  note 
that  suggestion  may  operate  perfectly  well 
without  words,  as  long  as  the  subject  knows 
what  to  expect.  The  water  in  the  pond  is  un- 
able to  speak,  but  its  purpose  is  to  affect  the 
player's  mind,  and  very  often  it  does.  Silent 
suggestion  is  not, a  good  method,  at  least  not 
the  best,  though  it  is  practiced  I  believe  in  some 
healing  cults  regularly,  and  it  may  be  quite 
effective. 

The  man  born  blind  offers  a  good  case  to 
study  in  connection  with  the  subject  of  sugges- 
tion. To  the  disciples'  question  about  the  re- 
lation of  the  blindness  to  sin,  our  Lord's  reply 
tends  to  stir  the  interest  and  faith  of  the  suf- 
ferer: "Neither  did  this  man  sin  nor  his 
parents" — that  he  was  born  blind;  "but  that 
the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in 
106 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

him.  "We  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that 
sent  me" — while  there  is  yet  time.  Why  Jesus 
uses  no  direct  therapeutic  suggestion,  it  is  im- 
possible to  tell;  in  healing  it  is  necessary  to 
study  every  temperament,  and  select  the  means 
best  suited  to  it.  It  is  certain  that  congenital 
blindness  is  a  grave  matter,*  and  we  notice  that 
while  our  Lord  uses  only  what  we  may  call  in- 
direct suggestion,  he  takes  unusual  pains  and 
goes  to  unaccustomed  length  in  the  means  he 
does  employ,  putting  ointment  on  the  blind  eyes 
and  bidding  him  go  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam. 
The  waters  of  this  pool  were  reputed  to  have 
curative  powers,  at  least  for  digestive  disorders, 
but  apart  from  that  it  is  easy  to  see  that  Calvin 
may  have  been  right  in  explaining  the  measures 
taken  by  our  Lord  as  aiming  at  a  psycholog- 
ical effect.  The  anointing  and  the  washing  do 
furnish  an  effective  vehicle  for  suggestion,  and 
the  time  consumed  offers  abundant  opportunity 
for  the  idea  of  healing  to  work  its  way  into  the 
deepest  recesses  of  the  mind. 
In  mentioning  suggestion  as  the  possibly  es- 

^  NaturaHy  we  havp  no  information  whatever  as  to  the 
organic  condition  of  the  sufferer's  eyes. 

107 


The  Belief  of  Pain" 

sential  element  in  our  Lord's  healing,  naturally 
I  do  not  seek  to  detract  from  bis  unique  person- 
ality or  to  question  his  superhuman  knowledge 
and  power.  I  am  rather  concerned  to  explain 
the  confidence  with  which  he  assured  his  crude 
disciples  that  they  could  heal  the  sick  as  well  as 
he.  It  is,  however,  a  conclusion  not  unwelcome 
to  many  earnest  followers  of  Christ  that  he  ac- 
complished marvelous  results  by  appeal  to  the 
universally  operative  laws  of  the  human  mind, 
laws  ordained  by  a  wise  Creator  for  beneficent 
ends,  and  laws  which  are  at  the  service  of  all 
men  in  all  ages. 

B.    Cures  by  Suggestion 

However  we  may  look  at  that,  we  have  pre- 
sumably reached  the  point  where  we  can  see  that 
suggestion  is  an  attempt  to  implant  an  idea  in 
the  human  mind  in  order  to  produce  a  certain 
desired  effect.  The  suggestion  may  be  con- 
veyed by  words,  directly  or  by  implication,  or  in 
a  thousand  other  ways.  These  suggestions 
often  take  hold  of  the  mind  and  exercise  a  tre- 
mendous influence  for  good  or  for  evil.  Every 
day  we  offer  countless  suggestions  to  our  neigh- 
108 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

bors  and  receive  many  in  return.  We  may  do 
good  or  do  harm,  and  we  may  receive  good  or 
receive  harm.  It  seems  quite  worth  our  while 
to  try  to  understand  this  mysterious  force,  and 
endeavor  to  exert  upon  others  only  a  beneficent 
force,  and  to  keep  our  own  hearts  open  to  light 
and  shut  against  darkness. 

There  are  many  therapeutic  systems  which 
scorn  suggestion,  and  yet  it  is  easy  to  explain 
every  one  of  their  cures  by  this  subtle  agency. 
The  physician  writes  a  prescription  and  assures 
the  patient  that  the  remedy  will  relieve  the  ail- 
ment. Apart  from  the  specific  action  of  the 
drug  on  the  body,  the  mere  taking  of  the  medi- 
cine and  the  doctor's  assurance  may  exert  a 
most  wholesome  and  urgently  needed  influence 
upon  the  mind.  Even  if  no  convincing  words 
accompany  the  medicine,  the  drug  itself,  pre- 
scribed by  a  learned  physician  in  whom  the  pa- 
tient has  great  faith,  suffices  to  convey  a  strong 
suggestion. 

The  Christian  Scientist  loves  to  heap  con- 
tempt upon  suggestion.  But  when  the  devotees 
of  that  cult  assert  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  disease,  they  are  using  suggestion  very  ef- 
109 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

fectively,  albeit  a  bit  blindly;  when  they  have 
their  sittings,  readings,  and  demonstrations, 
they  are  merely  revealing  the  variety  of  ways  in 
which  suggestions  can  be  administered;  when 
they  invite  those  who  have  been  cured  to  tell 
their  story  in  public  meetings  or  in  their  period- 
icals, they  are  unwittingly  driving  suggestions 
into  the  minds  of  other  sufferers.  In  the  same 
way  the  testimonials  on  the  circular  in  which 
the  patent  medicine  is  wrapped  have  far  more 
therapeutic  value  than  the  drug  itself. 

C.    Suggestion  and  Absent  Treatment 

Whatever  success  is  attained  in  the  use  of  ab- 
sent treatment  may  certainly  be  attributed  to 
suggestion.  Those  who  believe  in  this  method 
and  practice  it  and  have  seen  stupendous  results 
from  it  are  hardly  to  be  convinced,  but  at  the 
present  state  of  our  knowledge  no  other  ex- 
planation is  scientifically  admissible;  in  any 
case  no  other  is  ordinarily  necessary.  It  all  de- 
pends upon  the  truth  about  telepathy.  That 
field  has  been  industriously  studied  and  some 
amazing  coincidences,  if  that  is  the  right  ex- 
planation, are  on  record ;  but  I  have  never  been 
110 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

able  to  get  hold  of  any  convincing  evidence  that 
one  mind  can  influence  another,  that  other  being 
absent  and  unaware  of  the  effort.  It  is  quite 
conceivable  that  I  might  assure  a  good  night's 
sleep  to  a  large  audience,  the  people  being  pres- 
ent and  hearing  my  words ;  but  suppose  I  were 
more  ambitious  than  that  and  set  my  will  to 
bring  peaceful  repose  to  every  indifferent 
sleeper  in  this  great  city,  is  it  possible  that  my 
big  and  noble  desire  could  be  so  conveyed  to 
their  minds,  utterly  unconscious  of  my  efforts, 
that  the  willed  result  will  follow?  If  such  a 
telepathic  influence  is  demonstrable,  then  absent 
treatment  is  scientific;  otherwise  it  savors  of 
quackery,  and  approaches  close  to  fraud. 

Nevertheless  I  do  not  doubt  the  claimed  good 
results,  given  the  essential  condition  that  the 
subject  shall  be  aware  of  the  efforts  on  his  be- 
half. So  far  as  I  know  this  is  the  uniform  con- 
dition whenever  absent  treatment  is  effective, 
and  that  condition  makes  suggestion  the  only 
scientific  explanation.  It  is  worth  while  to  see 
how  it  works. 

Suppose  a  person  goes  to  a  healer  to  be  cured 
of  insomnia.  He  tells  the  patient  that  he  is  to 
111 


The  Belief  of  Pain 

be  in  bed  every  niglit  at  ten  o  'clock,  and  that  at 
precisely  that  hour  the  distant  healer  will  be 
exerting  a  somnolent  influence  upon  him  and 
will  keep  it  up  until  he  is  sound  asleep.  We 
may  perhaps  equip  our  patient  with  a  reason- 
able amount  of  credulity,  not  difficult  if  it  is  true 
that  you  can  fool  all  the  people  some  of  the 
time;  for  our  problem  only  requires  us  to  fool 
one  of  the  people  for  some  of  the  time.  The  in- 
somniac is  in  bed.  Sleep  is  slow  in  coming,  but 
he  knows,  or  at  any  rate  believes,  that  the  faith- 
ful and  patient  demonstrator  is  busy  at  the 
other  end  of  the  immaterial  wire,  and  is  com- 
forted. By  and  by,  he  falls  asleep.  Then  is  not 
the  effectiveness  of  absent  treatment  proved? 
Yes,  its  effectiveness,  but  not  its  conformity  to 
sincerity  and  truth;  for  the  sleep  is  obviously 
produced  by  suggestion,  and  the  result  would  be 
just  as  certain,  the  other  conditions  being  the 
same,  if  the  demonstrator  were  at  the  agreed 
hour  having  a  quiet  game  of  bridge,  or  were 
whirling  in  a  dance,  or  himself  had  yielded  to 
nature's  force  and  were  already  sound  asleep. 
The  patient  lies  in  his  bed  with  the  expectation 
that  he  will  be  put  to  sleep,  and  the  expectation 
112 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

brings  the  desired  result  without  any  other 
agency  whatsoever.  Indeed,  no  person  will 
ever  suffer  from  insomnia  as  long  as  he  can 
retire  nightly  with  a  deep-seated,  but  quite  un- 
conscious, expectation  of  sleep.  For  that  ex- 
pectation is  nothing  else  than  the  required  faith 
that  God's  kindly  laws  will  operate.  The  aim 
of  suggestion  is  attained  when  that  expectation 
is  sui33ciently  aroused. 

An  analogous  case  from  my  experience  may 
be  usefully  described.  A  man  wrote  to  me  that 
he  could  not  sleep  more  than  three  or  four  hours 
each  night,  and  asked  for  help.  I  wrote  a  letter 
in  reply  at  the  end  of  which  I  assured  him  that 
his  trouble  could  be  relieved.  The  first  night 
after  reading  the  letter  he  slept  for  some  seven 
hours,  not  because  I  was  giving  him  absent 
treatment,  but  because  I  had  raised  an  expecta- 
tion of  sleep. 

It  is  right  to  say  that  the  practitioners  of  ab- 
sent treatment  are  entirely  sincere,  but  they  are 
quite  in  error  as  to  the  important  relation  be- 
tween cause  and  effect.  They  need  to  learn 
that  an  effect  which  follows  from  a  certain  act 
is  not  necessarily  caused  by  that  act.  I  have 
113 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

invariably  declined  all  requests  for  absent  treat- 
ment, because  for  me  it  would  involve  a  de- 
parture from  the  truth,  and  I  do  not  want  to 
heal  or  to  be  healed  by  any  means  that  departs 
even  to  the  slightest  degree  from  what  we  know 
to  be  true. 

Appeal  might  be  made  to  the  example  of  our 
Lord,  who,  as  we  have  seen,^  employed  absent 
treatment  on  three  occasions.  The  appeal  is 
vain,  however,  for  in  the  recorded  cases  his 
methods  were  radically  different  from  those  em- 
ployed by  the  absent-healers  to-day.  He  did 
not  engage  to  waft  subtle  influences  through 
space,  but  assured  those  who  sought  his  aid  for 
the  absent  sufferers  that  their  faith  would  ac- 
complish the  desired  end.  A  large  faith  is  cer- 
tainly far  reaching  in  its  blessed  influence. 

D.  Suggestion  and  Hypnotism 
I  have  treated  the  subject  of  suggestion  in 
such  a  way  as  to  correct  a  rather  common  im- 
pression that  suggestion  is  indissolubly  bound 
up  with  hypnotism.  The  fact  is  that  there  is  no 
more  necessary  connection  between  hypnotism 

1  See  p.  21  f. 

114 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

and  suggestion  than  there  is  between  the  medi- 
cine and  the  bottle  in  which  it  is  contained. 
The  bottle  is  a  simple  and  convenient  receptacle 
for  the  medicine,  and  hypnotism  is  a  simple  and 
reasonably  sure  means  for  making  suggestions 
that  will  be  effective.  Suggestions  may  be 
given  in  many  different  ways,  but  sometimes  an 
impression  can  be  made  upon  a  person  in  the 
hypnotic  state  that  cannot  certainly  be  made  in 
any  other  way.  It  is  possible,  as  we  have  seen, 
to  develop  hay  fever  by  suggestion  given  in 
hypnosis ;  to  bring  about  that  effect  in  the  wak- 
ing state  might  be  possible,  but  it  would  require 
much  time  and  peculiar  conditions;  and  then 
the  idea  once  inculcated  in  that  way  would  be 
likely  to  adhere  after  the  experiment  were 
ended,  a  condition  certainly  not  to  be  desired. 

Nevertheless,  so  many  people  are  afraid  of 
hypnotism  that  its  use  is  often  impracticable. 
The  fear  is  based  on  the  conviction  that  a  hyp- 
notized person  is  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the 
operator.  That  conviction  is  not  supported  by 
facts,  indeed  is  controverted  by  the  facts.  One 
who  has  tested  the  matter  carefully  asserts  that 
it  is  impossible  to  induce  a  person  in  hypnosis 
115 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

to  do  anything  contrary  to  his  moral  nature,  or 
even  against  certain  prejudices.^  It  is  easy  to 
constrain  a  hypnotized  person  to  do  some  stunts 
that  are  unusual ;  and  it  is  easy  to  disclose  men- 
tal and  physical  powers  far  transcending  those 
available  in  the  conscious  state.  But  as  an 
agency  for  suggestive  therapeutics  hypnotism 
has  fallen  below  the  great  expectations  raised  by 
a  limited  knowledge  of  the  phenomenon.  More- 
over, it  has  some  obvious  drawbacks.  Com- 
paratively few  people  can  be  deeply  hypnotized, 
and  a  mild  state  does  not  yield  the  striking  re- 
sults ;  the  induction  of  the  state  in  difficult  cases 
taxes  one's  time  and  patience  to  the  utmost ;  and 
above  all  the  subject  so  often  does  not  carry  out 
the  suggestion  urged  upon  him,  though  the 
thing  suggested  is  what  he  desires  above  all 
things.  What  I  mean  may  be  illustrated  by  an 
example.  A  drunkard  is  hypnotized  and  told, 
for  instance,  that  he  will  never  drink  alcoholic 
beverages  again,  and  that  as  he  leaves  the  oper- 
ator's house  he  will  ring  the  bell  of  the  neighbor 
next  door.  The  chances  are  very  great  that  he 
will  not  fail  to  ring  the  bell,  obeying  a  sugges- 

^  Bramwell,  Hypnotism,  p.  315  £E. 
116 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

tion  of  mere  experimental  value;  but  the 
chances  are  also  very  considerable  that  he  may 
take  a  glass  of  beer  at  the  first  saloon  he  comes 
across.  There  appears  to  be  something  myste- 
rious in  the  suggestions  which  a  person  will 
obey  and  those  he  will  not.  An  .alcoholic  I  was 
treating  asserted  that  he  would  be  all  right  if  he 
could  keep  out  of  saloons ;  that  he  entered  them 
for  an  innocent  purpose,  and  then  got  to  drink- 
ing. It  was  a  case  giving  us  serious  trouble 
and  this  statement  offered  a  fresh  opening.  In 
hypnosis  I  suggested  that  he  would  never  be 
able  to  enter  a  saloon  again,  of  course  much 
more  earnestly  ringing  the  changes  on  the  in- 
terdiction of  strong  drink.  Well,  I  stopped  his 
entering  saloons,  but  was  unable  to  check  the 
taking  of  beverages. 

I  often  think  that  the  best  way  to  use  thera- 
peutic suggestion  is  by  the  conversational 
method  such  as  Dubois  habitually  employs.^ 
Invariably  I  place  reliance  upon  this  device, 
talking  over  the  symptoms,  giving  advice,  and 
watching  every  opportunity  to  strengthen  the 
morale  of  the  patient.^    At  the  same  time  I  find 

1  See  his  Psychic  Treatment  of  Nervous  Disorders. 

"^  I  once  spent  the  night  at  the  house  of  a  lady  who  was 

117 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

that  nmeh  good  can  be  done  by  making  the  sug- 
gestions or  reviewing  them  while  the  patient  is 
in  a  state  of  relaxation.  When  a  person  sits  in 
a  room  with  softened  light,  in  an  easy  chair, 
with  relaxed  muscles,  with  the  eyes  closed,  with 
peaceful  and  quieting  ideas  conveyed  to  the 
mind,  the  condition  creates  a  mental  state  fa- 
vorable for  the  absorption  of  good  and  whole- 
some ideas. 

E.    The  Broad  Field  for  Suggestion 

It  is  worth  while  at  least  to  call  attention  to 
the  fact  that  suggestion  offers  us  a  valuable 
help  in  accomplishing  the  tasks  and  meeting  the 
responsibilities  of  every-day  life.  There  are 
few  things  we  do  without  a  pang  of  regret  be- 
cause we  do  not  do  them  better ;  and  the  regret 
is  deepened  when  we  feel,  as  we  often  do,  that 
we  could  do  them  better.  That  is,  we  are  some- 
times dimly  conscious  of  a  force  in  us  which 

far  from  well,  and  who  spoke  frequently  during  the  evening 
of  her  poor  sleep.  At  every  such  remark  I  dropped  a  hint 
intended  to  counteract  her  expectation  of  a  bad  night.  The 
result  was  quite  appreciable,  as  I  learned  in  the  morning 
that  she  had  slept  better  than  was  her  wont.  Such  helpful 
suggestions  may  be  made  by  anybody. 

ii8 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

we  seem  unable  to  reach,  like  an  unavailable 
asset.  In  this  appearance  we  are  not  misled. 
Hypnotism  has  revealed  subconscious  mental 
and  physical  assets  far  transcending  those  of 
the  ordinary  state.  Suggestion  cannot  create 
ability  any  more  than  it  can  restore  a  decayed 
tooth  or  replace  a  lost  lung.  But  it  can  bring 
into  active  being  the  talents  one  actually  has; 
it  can  stimulate  the  energy  of  the  mind,  as  well 
as  of  the  digestive  organs.  Stated  broadly, 
suggestion  can  improve  the  quality  of  anything 
we  undertake  to  do. 

By  suggestion  or  auto-suggestion  the  hostess 
may  be  more  completely  at  her  best  in  enter- 
taining her  guests ;  the  one  who  pleads  with  his 
friend  to  keep  him  in  the  straight  way  may  put 
more  power  in  his  plea;  the  athlete  may  have 
his  muscles  more  supple  and  more  quickly  re- 
sponsive to  his  will ;  the  reader  may  grasp  more 
thoroughly  the  contents  of  the  book  he  is  perus- 
ing; the  author  may  find  his  style  at  its  highest 
level;  the  speaker  may  have  his  tongue  un- 
loosed so  that  the  most  telling  phrases  he  knows 
will  flow  from  his  lips ;  the  soldier  may  have  his 
courage  enhanced;  the  sinner  who  fights  his 
119 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

sin  may  discover  a  strength  of  the  very  exist- 
ence of  which  he  was  unaware. 

F.  The  Moral  and  Religious  Forces 
As  I  have  said,  some  people,  keen  on  the  re- 
ligious side,  are  apt  to  condemn  suggestion; 
they  do  so  because  they  cannot  see  what  it  has 
to  do  with  moral  or  religious  forces  in  healing. 
Evidently  suggestion  belongs  to  the  domain  of 
psychology  rather  than  to  that  of  ethics  or  re- 
ligion. Well,  suggestion  is  merely  the  name  of 
a  process  for  conveying  ideas  to  the  mind  upon 
which  the  recipient  is  expected  to  act,  and  the 
ideas  may  be  moral  or  wicked,  religious  or  pro- 
fane, healthy  or  morbid.  The  point  is,  though, 
that  the  moral  and  religious  elements  so  impor- 
tant in  healing  may  be  made  effective  by  a  wise 
use  of  suggestion. 

I  have  tried  to  show  that  all  the  functional 
disorders  are  due  to  a  morbid  idea  operating 
upon  the  mind,  and  that  the  cure  must  come 
from  the  substitution  of  healthy  ideas  for  the 
morbid;  or,  to  put  it  in  a  better  way,  the  suf- 
ferer has  lost  faith  in  the  functioning  of  some 
part  of  his  body  or  mind,  and  the  cure  will  come 
120 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

as  soon  as  the  faith  is  recovered.  Suggestion 
is  merely  the  psychological  means  to  the  moral 
end.  As  soon  as  the  sufferer  believes  that  his 
misery  can  be  relieved,  the  cure  is  half  accom- 
plished. As  soon  as  his  faith  is  complete,  his 
ailment  disappears. 

It  is  evident  that  a  moral  effect  must  be  pro- 
duced in  order  that  the  sick  shall  be  whole,  and 
obviously  a  moral  effort,  and  sometimes  a 
mighty  moral  effort,  must  be  made.  The  use  of 
religion,  simply  and  sincerely,  is  a  tremendous 
adjunct  in  bringing  about  the  desired  moral  ef- 
fect. To  a  person  anxious  about  many  things, 
the  beautiful  sayings  of  our  Lord  about  God's 
providential  rule  of  the  world  may  make  a 
strong  appeal.  The  words  of  the  Psalmist, 
God  "giveth  his  beloved  sleep,"  may  at  last 
close  wakeful  eyes  in  peaceful  slumber.  Stage 
fright  in  all  its  forms  may  yield  to  a  sermon  on 
the  text,  **He  that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it  again."  The  one  unable  to  subdue 
a  bad  habit  takes  new  hope  from  the  story  of 
the  power  which  may  come  to  one  who  realizes 
the  force  of  St.  Paul's  words,  "My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee."  In  divers  ways  the  great 
121 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

moral  and  religious  appeal,  which  may  be  made 
by  suggestion,  has  enormous  therapeutic  force. 
Suggestion  is  not  the  only  arrow  in  the 
quiver,  however ;  certain  other  agencies  may  be 
found  useful,  and  these  I  shall  discuss  in  the 
next  chapter. 


122 


CHAPTER  IV 
Psychotherapy  in  Organic  Disease 

WJMiave  seen  that  there  is  some  evidence 
to  support  the  view  that  the  mind  can 
affect  the  organic  condition  of  the  body.^  In 
so  far  as  this  is  true  there  is  encouragement  to 
employ  the  moral  and  spiritual  forces- in  or- 
ganic as  well  as  in  functional  disease. 

But  such  forces  should  never  be  employed  to 
the  exclusion  of  material  agencies  which  usu- 
ally are  imperatively  needed.  A  simple  and 
wise  rule  for  any  clergjonan  who  ministers  to 
tbe  sick  is  in  every  case  to  call  in  the  doctor 
as  the  first  step.  He  is  the  one  most  competent 
to  make  a  trustworthy  diagnosis.  He  may  be, 
sometimes  is,  wrong ;  but  he  is  more  likely  to  be 
right  than  an  untrained  and  inexperienced  lay- 
man. It  is  an  invariable  rule  with  all  who  pro- 
fess   allegiance   to   the    Emmanuel   Movement 

1  Page  73  ff. 

123 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

never  to  give  treatment  without  the  advice  and 
sanction  of  a  physician.  We  work  with  and 
under  the  members  of  the  medical  profession, 
never  against  them.  Some  physicians  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  our  work,  but  there  are 
plenty — and  they  are  among  the  most  eminent 
— who  will  gladly  give  us  countenance  and  co- 
operation. A  distinguished  physician  said  that 
when  he  discovered  a  patient  who  needed  reli- 
gious treatment,  he  preferred  to  send  him  to  an 
expert  in  religion,  though  he  was  himself  a  de- 
vout Christian.  In  accord  with  this  principle 
we  send  all  applicants  to  an  expert  in  pathology 
to  learn  the  nature  of  the  trouble  and  to  appor- 
tion, if  need  be,  the  medical  and  the  mental 
treatment. 

Even  in  psychopathic  cases  there  is  often  a 
physical  condition  that  requires  expert  medical 
attention.^  The  treatment  of  those  maladies  is 
difBcult  enough  without  carrying  the  handicap 
of  an  enfeebled  body.    To  get  the  mind  to  work- 

^  A  doctor  was  led  to  endorse  the  Healing  Mission  at  St. 
Mark's  because  a  woman  who  had  come  to  lis  for  supposed 
nervous  trouble  was  found  by  the  required  medical  examina- 
tion to  have  a  slight  organic  affection.  This  was  success- 
fully treated  by  the  physician,  and  a  complete  recovery  was 
the  result. 

124 


By  Mental  Suggestion       ^ 

ing  right  is  easier,  if  there  is  a  sound  and  vigor- 
ous physical  condition  as  a  basis. 

On  the  other  hand  it  frequently  happens  that"" 
in  pronounced  organic  disease  there  is  a  dis- 
turbed mental  state,  and  such  a  state  makes  a( 
grave  handicap  for  the  doctor  in  his  work, 
the  mind  needs  a  sound  body  as  its  abiding 
place,  so  the  body  needs  a  normal  mental  state 
for  its  welfare.  Here  is  an  inviting  and  impor- 
tant field. 

The  priest  who  visits  the  ordinary  sick  may 
well  look  into  the  psychic  state  of  each  patient, 
to  ascertain  whether  he  is  calm  and  cheerful 
and  hopeful ;  and  if  he  is  not,  then  there  is  work 
surely  befitting  the  priest's  office.  If  he  can 
bring  about  the  desired  serenity  of  mind,  he  will 
be  a  powerful  and  welcome  aid  to  the  doctor 
and  the  nurse.  A  person  in  a  cheerful  state  of 
mind  will  respond  to  medical  treatment  much 
better  than  one  who  is  anxious  and  troubled  and 
despondent. 

It  often  happens  that  the  psychotherapeutist 
can  be  of  enormous  service  in  surgical  cases- 
Very  many  people  are  frightened  at  the  pros- 
pect of  the  ether  and  the  knife.     Sometimes 
125 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

they  have  an  uncanny  fear  of  the  loss  of  con- 
sciousness, or  they  dread  the  probable  struggles 
resulting  from  etherization ;  they  are  unhappily 
affected  by  tales  from  the  operating  room. 
Surgery  used  to  be  the  last  resort,  so  that  grave 
danger  was  associated  with  it,  and  people  retain 
the  old  fear  even  when  conditions  are  changed. 
Now  a  person  in  a  state  of  fear  is  in  no  con- 
dition for  a  surgical  operation.  The  fear  adds 
tremendously  to  the  nervous  shock,  and  may 
even  create  an  element  of  danger.  Unless  the 
fear  is  eliminated,  it  is  certain  that  the  inevita- 
bly bad  effects  of  the  operation  will  be  in- 
creased, and  convalescence  will  be  retarded. 
The  wise  surgeon  will  always  examine  the  pa- 
tient's mind  as  well  as  his  heart  before  ether  is 
administered.  I  remember  well  a  lady  who  so 
dreaded  a  necessary  operation  that  the  surgeon 
was  unwilling  to  proceed  until  the  fear  had  been 
removed.  Fortunately  that  proved  an  easy 
matter  and  prepared  the  way  for  a  successful 
operation  and  a  quick  recovery.  I  have  seen  a 
case  in  which  the  fear  was  so  great  that  the  suf- 
ferer refused  to  submit  to  surgical  interference 
that  was  deemed  vital.  Fortunately  the  offices 
126 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

of  the  clergyman  who  was  called  in  overcame 
the  opposition,  and  a  useful  life  was  saved.  In 
these  cases  psychotherapy  was  the  means  em- 
ployed to  overcome  the  fear;  but  a  simple 
religious  influence  will  sometimes  suffice.  A 
woman  asked  for  a  special  celebration  of  the 
Holy  Communion  before  going  to  the  hospital 
for  a  considerable  operation.  It  is  true  that 
there  was  no  marked  antecedent  dread ;  yet  she 
craved  the  support  of  her  religion,  and  with 
that  given  she  went  to  the  table  with  such  splen- 
did faith  that  the  case  was  a  happy  one  all  the 
way  through. 

The  Therapeutic  Value  of  Prayer 

An  agent  that  may  be  beneficially  used  in  all 
kinds  of  sickness  is  prayer.  This  is  the  ready 
weapon  of  the  priest  and  should  be  at  the  serv- 
ice of  every  person  who  believes  in  a  God.  I 
am  sure  it  would  be  most  helpful  if  there  could 
be  a  revival  of  the  conditions  urged  by  St. 
James:  "Is  any  among  you  sick?  let  him  call 
for  the  elders  of  the  church ;  and  let  them  pray 
over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord:  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save 
127 


The  Eeliep  op  Pain 

him  that  is  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him 
up"  (Jas.  5:14  ff.)-  We  may  note  that  while 
the  apostle  mentions  anointing  with  oil,  it  is  to 
the  prayer  that  he  attributes  the  cures.  But  it 
is  the  prayer  of  faith,  that  is,  the  prayer  that 
springs  from  a  deep  belief  in  the  power  and 
love  of  God,  the  faith  that  God  can  and  will 
stretch  out  his  healing  hand  to  the  sick. 

Christian  people  have  too  generally  lost  faith 
in  the  therapeutic  efBcacy  of  prayer.  This 
loss  is  due  to  two  facts:  first,  that  they  had 
come  to  rely  exclusively  on  material  agencies; 
materialism  has  deeply  influenced  the  whole  hu- 
man race;  second,  the  prayer  was  usually 
sought  only  when  it  appeared  that  all  other 
agencies  had  failed.  It  became  difficult  to  pray 
for  a  sick  person  because  prayer  was  an  inti- 
mation that  his  end  was  near.^  To  offer  the 
prayer  for  a  sick  person  in  church  was  taken  to 

^Any  pastor's  experience  will  afford  abundant  illustra- 
tions. I  once  visited  a  parishioner  who  had  tuberculosis 
and  was  marked  for  death.  At  the  time  he  was  still  up  and 
about,  thoush  he  wa.s  aware  of  his  serious  condition.  I 
asked  him  if  he  would  like  me  to  offer  a  prayer  on  his  be- 
half. He  replied,  "No,  doctor,  the  time  hasn't  come  for 
that  yet."  I  liave  no  doubt  that  to  many  srood  Christian 
people  it  would  appear  ridiculous  to  pray  for  a  moderate 
ailment,  say  for  a  slight  cold. 
128 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

mean  that  some  one  was  dying,  whereas  it 
should  indicate  that  some  one  hoped  to  live. 

The  realization  of  the  great  effects  which  may 
surely  be  produced  by  moral  and  religious 
forces  ought  to  restore  our  faith  in  prayer. 
And  prayer  is  a  remedy  that  any  one  may  use 
without  risk,  and  God  can  be  reached  from  any 
place  and  at  any  time.  Frequently  in  emer- 
gencies it  is  difficult  to  get  a  doctor  promptly, 
and  sometimes  the  wisest  of  them  is  doubtful  as 
to  what  remedies  to  apply.  Psychotherapy  is 
a  science  and  its  use  requires  knowledge  and 
experience.  But  any  person  may  invoke  the 
aid  of  God  in  prayer. 

It  is  true  that  prayer  is  unwelcome  and  some- 
times even  offensive  to  the  sick.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  less  so  if  we  could  inspire  them  with  a 
little  faith,  and  if  we  limited  our  prayers  to  the 
sufferer's  obvious  needs.  If  any  prayer  should 
be  to  the  point,  it  is  the  prayer  for  the  sick.* 

^  The  prayer  of  our  church  is  very  faulty  on  this  account. 
There  are  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  words  in  the  prayer 
of  which  eleven  are  p;iven  to  petitions  for  health.  But  the 
serious  evil  is  the  last  paragraph,  askinsr  that  if  the  sufferer 
dies  he  may  have  everlasting  life.  That  is,  we  pray  that 
God  will  either  heal  the  sick  person  or  take  him  to  heaven, 
a  prayer  suitable  only  for  a  very  sinful  subject,  or  for  one 

129 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

The  petitions  that  God  would  quicken  the  heal- 
ing forces  which  are  struggling  in  every  person 
suffering  from  disease,  that  He  would  bless  and 
prosper  every  device  of  man  used  in  the  fight 
for  health,  are  the  vital  things. 

Before  we  can  bring  prayer  to  its  right  place, 
we  need  to  make  sure  that  we  are  not  encum- 
bered by  any  doubtful  theology.  We  must  rid 
ourselves  of  the  notion  that  sickness  is  a  punish- 
ment for  sin.  Even  if  it  is  sometimes  a  conse- 
quence of  sin,  it  does  not  follow  that  it  is  a  pun- 
ishment sent  of  God.  The  disciples  of  our  Lord 
held  the  widely  prevalent  view,  as  they  showed 
in  their  question:  "Who  sinned,  this  man,  or 
his  parents,  that  he  should  be  born  blind?" 
(Jn.  9:2.)  They  never  dreamed  of  doubting 
that  the  blindness  was  the  result  of  sin;  but 
there  was  an  interesting  point  unsettled, 
whether  the  blind  man  was  paying  the  penalty 

in  extremis.  The  idea  of  death  is  not  a  good  suggestion  to 
one  whose  vitality  is  impaired.  I  am  convinced  that  the 
prayer  for  everlasting  life,  so  far  as  the  sick  are  concerned, 
should  come  when  this  life  is  ended;  hence  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  avow  my  belief  in  prayers  for  the  dead.  It  is  gratifying 
to  note  a  proposal  in  the  General  Convention  to  amend  the 
offices  for  the  sick.  Some  radical  changes  are  much  to  be 
desired. 

130 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

for  his  parents'  sin,  or  whether  his  afifliction 
was  an  anticipatory  punishment  for  sins  he 
would  commit  himself.  Our  Lord's  emphatic 
reply  should  have  settled  the  matter  forever: 
"Neither  did  this  man  sin,  nor  his  parents;  but 
that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest 
in  him."  (Ibid.,  v.  3).  Similarly  of  the  par- 
alyzed woman  our  Lord  said  Satan,  not  God, 
has  bound  her  for  eighteen  years  (Lu.  13: 16). 
If  we  believed  sickness  to  be  a  punishment  for 
sin  sent  from  God,  then  we  would  hardly  dare 
use  any  remedial  measures  at  all,  lest  we  might 
be  working  against  God.  But  if  we  see  in  all 
disease  the  working  of  evil  forces,  against  which 
all  the  powers  of  heaven  are  arraigned,  then  in 
every  sick  person  we  find  a  fit  subject  for  the 
manifestation  of  the  works  of  God,  and  we  shall 
work  and  pray  for  recovery. 

Psychoanalysis 

Experience  will  soon  teach  the  one  who  essays 
to  join  in  the  relief  of  the  world's  pain  the  ex- 
treme difficulty  of  the  task.  Sometimes  indeed 
what  appears  to  be  a  chronic  and  obstinate  dis- 
order will  yield  at  the  first  touch,  no  matter 
131 


The  Eelief  of  Pain 

wliat  the  line  of  approacli ;  and  sometimes  it  is 
necessary  to  work  hard  and  long  and  persist- 
ently. In  the  stubborn  cases  the  would-be 
healer  will  need  all  of  his  resources,  and  then 
may  seem  to  lack  the  vital  thing.  There  is  one 
more  arrow  in  the  healer's  quiver,  and  if  it  is 
judiciously  and  skillfully  employed,  it  will  re- 
lieve misery  sometimes  when  all  other  methods 
fail.  This  remaining  resource  is  called  psycho- 
analysis, and  a  study  of  that  branch  of  our  sci- 
ence may  well  now  engage  our  attention. 

Psychoanalysis  means,  of  course,  the  analysis 
of  the  mind,  and  its  aim  is  to  ascertain  the  ori- 
gin of  the  peculiar  mental  forces  at  work  in  any 
given  case.  We  do  a  great  many  acts  from  mo- 
tives of  which  we  are  quite  unconscious,  and  yet 
every  act  must  have  some  constraining  mental 
impulse  back  of  it.  In  ordinary  life  it  may 
often  not  be  important  to  know  what  that  com- 
pelling force  is.  And  yet  I  think  that  our  con- 
duct would  be  much  more  satisfactory  from  an 
ethical  standpoint  if  we  knew  more  about  the 
motives  from  which  we  act.  However  alluring 
a  field  the  ethical  aspect  of  psychoanalysis  may 
offer,  I  must  turn  away  from  it,  because  the 
132 


By  JNIental  Suggestion 

pathological  cases  are  more  than  sufficient  to 
occupy  all  the  time  at  my  disposal. 

Psychoanalygis^  is  useful  sometimes  in  treat- 
ing all  kinds  of  functional  disorders,  whether 
the  effect  of  the  disturbance  is  in  the  mind  or  in 
the  body.^  But  it  has  its  chief  interest  and  im- 
portance in  the  psychopathic  cases,  where  there 
is  a  peculiar  mental  twist,  where  the  patient  acts 
fr^m  motives  he  does  not  understand,  where  he 
does  things  that  seem  to  him  irrational,  where 
his  good  sense  fails  to  control  his  action.  The 
aim  of  psychoanalysis  is  to  discover  what  the 
constraining  force  actually  is  and  whence  it 
came. 

A.    Fear  of  Thunder  Storms 

We  shall  get  the  light  most  effectively  by  a 
study  of  a  specific  manifestation  of  mental  trou- 
ble. Let  us  take  bronteplwbia,  the  fear  of  thun- 
der storms.  I  choose  this  partly  because  the 
phobia  is  so  widespread.  In  a  mild  way  a  very 
large  percentage  of  the  human  race  are  nervous 

^  I  have  frequently  cured  habit  pains  merely  by  explain- 
ing their  true  character.  Such  pains  at  the  start  have  a 
physical  origin,  but  become  fixed  by  mental  association. 

133 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

in  a  thunder  shower.^  We  may  be  able  to  deny 
that  we  are  actually  frightened,  but  we  do  not 
like  the  tumult,  and  are  relieved  when  it  is  over. 
If  that  were  all,  I  should  not  take  this  fear  as 
an  illustration;  but  it  is  not  all,  for  there  are 
some  people  to  whom  a  thunder  shower  brings 
an  agony  of  fear  and  pain  so  great  that  the 
whole  summer  is  a  period  of  dread. 

What  causes  that  fear?  The  answer  seems 
to  be  easy.  A  thunder  storm  is  an  awesome 
spectacle.  There  is  the  preparatory  period  of 
still,  sultry  heat;  there  are  the  dense  black 
clouds  piling  up  rapidly  in  the  west ;  there  are 
the  preliminary  gusts  of  wind,  followed  by  the 
howling  gale;  there  are  the  fearful-looking 
flashes  of  lightning,  and  the  low  rumble  followed 
by  the  crashing  peals  of  thunder;  there  is  the 
rapid  advance  of  the  storm,  so  that  one  must 
often  run  with  all  speed  for  shelter;  and  there 
is  the  fact  that  lightning  is  a  deadly  force  where 
it  strikes.  In  other  words,  there  is  much  ap- 
pearance of  danger  and  there  is  danger,  and 

^  Henderson,  in  his  Cruise  of  the  Tomas  Barrera,  speaks 
frequently  of  the  fear  caused  by  the  fierce  thunder  storms 
experienced  along  the  coast  of  Cuba. 
134 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

that  would  seem  adequate  to  account  for  the 
fear. 

A  closer  examination,  however,  must  raise 
doubts  as  to  this  solution  of  the  problem.  In 
the  city  of  New  York  there  are  five  million  peo- 
ple. Every  summer  a  considerable  number  of 
thunder  storms  sweep  over  the  city.  Yet  it  is 
rare  that  a  person  is  killed  or  any  other  damage 
done.  On  the  other  hand  there  are  several  hun- 
dred people  killed  and  injured  every  year  in  the 
streets  of  that  city.  It  is  much  more  dangerous 
to  walk  the  streets  than  it  is  to  sit  out  the  wild- 
est thunder  storm;  and  yet  we  are  not  afraid  to 
Avalk  the  streets.^  Evidently  we  must  go  fur- 
ther to  explain  this  sense  of  danger,  for  the  real 
peril  is  so  infinitesimal  that  it  must  be  neg- 
lected. 

In  the  search  for  causes  we  must  distinguish 
the  ordinary  mild  dread  from  the  intense  mor- 
bid terror.  In  the  former  condition  the  sense  of 
danger  is  commonly  due  to  the  fact,  to  put  it 
advisedly  in  the  first  person,  that  as  children  we 
were  often  forced  to  rush  for  shelter,  and  given 

^  There  are  people  with  a  morbid  fear  of  crossing  the 
streets;  indeed  there  is  scarcely  any  condition  of  life  with 
which  a  phobia  may  not  be  associated. 

135 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

the  impression  we  were  fleeing  from  some  grave 
peril.  While  nature  was  in  an  angry  mood  we 
were  regaled  with  tales  of  buildings  being 
struck,  and  of  animals  and  people  being  killed. 
Pernicious  ideas  put  into  the  mind  of  a  child 
bear  their  evil  fruit  for  many  a  long  day  after- 
wards. 

In  the  severe  cases  the  task  is  not  so  simple, 
for  a  fully  developed  phobia  will  hardly  arise 
from  mere  suggestion.  The  first  thing  is  to  find 
exactly  what  the  sufferer  fears,  and  when  we  do 
this  we  are  likely  to  meet  with  a  surprise,  for 
in  my  experience  the  fear  of  being  killed  by 
lightning  is  not  the  real  trouble  at  all.  In  two 
cases  that  were  exhaustively  worked  out,  by 
pressing  my  questions  to  learn  what  the  real 
object  of  fear  was,  I  found  that  in  one  it  was  the 
heat  and  in  the  other  the  noise.  This  discovery 
was  the  first  stage  in  psychoanalysis,  and  the 
sufferers  were  more  surprised  at  the  results 
than  I  was ;  for  I  had  often  found  that  the  ap- 
parent object  of  fear  is  not  the  real  one.  By 
association  a  substitution  may  take  place.  The 
real  cause  of  fear  is  hidden,  and  another  and 
more  plausible  one  is  put  in  its  place.  It  is 
136 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

recognized  as  reasonable  to  be  afraid  of  thunder 
and  lightning,  because  it  is  so  common,  but 
to  be  terrified  by  noise  is  deemed  worthy  only 
of  a  Chinaman;  and  to  be  afraid  of  ordinary 
heat  would  put  one  beyond  the  pale  of  reason. 
So  the  mind  represses  the  real  object,  and  in- 
troduces an  acceptable  one  in  its  place. 

Attention  must  be  called  to  a  fact  of  no  small 
importance,  considering  that  the  ultimate  aim 
of  our  work  is  the  elimination  of  the  fear.  In 
both  of  these  cases,  the  moment  the  discovery  of 
the  true  object  of  the  terror  was  made  there  was 
a  sense  of  relief.  So  we  find  another  illustra- 
tion of  the  wide  application  of  a  wonderful  say- 
ing of  Jesus:  '  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and 
the  truth  shall  make  you  free"  (Jn.  8:  32).  But 
psychoanalysis  must  go  further  and  reveal  the 
origin  of  the  fear  of  heat  in  the  one  case  and  of 
noise  in  the  other. 

The  patients  were  put  into  the  relaxed  state 
already  described  and  then  asked  to  let  the 
mind  quietly  muse  on  the  subject  which  caused 
the  trouble.  They  were  assured  that  this  fear 
had  a  definite  cause  and  origin  and  that  by  men- 
tal association  they  would  remember  the  occa- 
137 


The  Eeliep  op  Pain 

sion  when  the  mischief  was  done.  I  will  relate 
briefly  the  stories,  piecing  together  what  was 
revealed  in  fragments  and  hints  at  different 
times. 

One  patient  was  the  daughter  of  an  army  of- 
ficer. When  she  was  a  small  child,  sensitive, 
timid  and  nervous,  she  was  fairly  dragged  to 
the  front  for  a  noisy  demonstration  at  an  army 
post  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  roar  of  the 
cannon  terrorized  her,  but,  like  the  brave  child 
of  a  fearless  father,  she  must  stand  her  ground. 
As  she  grew  older  familiarity  with  big  guns 
bred  the  usual  contempt,  but  it  was  far  other- 
wise with  the  unconsciously  substituted  roar  of 
the  thunder. 

The  other  fear  also  originated  in  childhood, 
indeed  such  fears  always  do.  The  little  girl 
went  out  with  her  nurse  on  a  boiling  hot  sum- 
mer day,  and  in  the  course  of  their  wanderings 
they  reached  a  point  close  to  a  railway  embank- 
ment. A  train  came  along,  and  there  was  an 
accident,  the  details  of  which  the  child  evi- 
dently never  knew.  The  nurse  was  badly 
frightened,  and  she  hurried  her  charge  home 
with  all  the  speed  of  which  they  were  capable. 
138 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

Now  in  this  rush  for  home  the  child  herself  suf- 
fered severely  from  the  heat;  that  was  the  one 
evil  of  which  she  was  aware ;  but  her  mind  had 
been  filled  with  an  impression  of  tragedy.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  heat  and  danger  became 
morbidly  associated  in  her  mind,  and  that  was 
the  first  step  toward  a  phobia.  Then  on  an- 
other torrid  day,  while  she  was  feeling  the  suf- 
focation from  the  sultry  heat,  a  severe  thunder 
storm  suddenly  broke  loose,  and  a  complete  sub- 
stitution was  effected.  The  early  fear  of  trag- 
edy had  been  first  transferred  to  heat,  and  the 
irrational  fear  of  heat  was  now  transferred  to 
the  thunder  storm. 

In  both  of  these  cases  the  completion  of  the 
analysis  was  at  once  followed  by  full  and  final 
relief  from  the  fear.  Theoretically  that  result 
should  always  follow,  but  practically  we  find 
that  it  does  not.  It  may  be  that  our  analysis  is 
faulty,  for  we  often  have  to  follow  many  mis- 
leading trails,  and  go  back  and  start  all  over 
again  before  we  get  on  the  right  road.  Per- 
haps we  fail  because  we  do  not  reach  the  right 
trail  at  all ;  we  think  we  have,  but  we  may  be 
mistaken. 

139 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

B.  Comprehension  of  Phobias 
The  analysis  of  cases  like  these  enables  us 
to  comprehend  some  human  conditions  which 
otherwise  are  a  mystery.  In  itself,  for  in- 
stance, it  is  incredible  that  a  grown  man  should 
be  afraid  of  the  dark,  and  yet  that  is  sometimes 
the  case.  But  it  is  not  really  the  dark  he  fears, 
for  the  darkness  is  only  the  result  of  an  asso- 
ciation. Down  in  the  subconscious  there  is  a 
memory  of  a  terrible  experience  of  early  life. 
In  some  way,  presumably  because  the  thing 
happened  at  night,  the  darkness  was  seized 
upon  and  remains  the  only  consciously  known 
object  of  fear.  Of  course,  the  people  who  have 
this  fear  insist  that  the  darkness  does  involve 
certain  dangers,  but  this  is  merely  the  inevit- 
able device  for  justification;  for  no  one  wants 
to  appear  ridiculous.  The  plea  does  not  hold, 
though,  for  I  have  seen  a  person  who  was  as 
much  afraid  of  bright  sunlight  as  his  neigh- 
bor of  the  gloom  of  night.  Therefore  it  ap- 
pears that  while  we  might  smile  scornfully  at 
the  grown  man's  fear  of  the  dark,  the  smile 
fades  away  the  moment  we  understand  that 
140 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

there  is  something  very  real  at  the  bottom  of 
the  matter.  It  is  analogous  to  the  woman  who 
bursts  into  sobs  whenever  she  opens  a  certain 
drawer;  for  there  lie  the  tiny  shoes  worn  once 
by  the  child  who  then  prattled  by  her  side.  It 
is  absurd  to  weep  over  a  pair  of  shoes;  true, 
but  the  bereaved  mother  does  not  really  weep 
because  of  the  shoes,  but  for  the  child  who  once 
wore  them. 

This  discipline  makes  apparent  the  innocence 
of  what  otherwise  might  be  regarded  as  dan- 
gerous hallucinations.  For  example  a  woman 
frequently  saw  figures,  especially  of  black  men, 
when  sitting  in  the  twilight.  In  a  way  she  knew 
these  figures  were  imaginary,  but  they  seemed 
real  and  terrible  none  the  less.  The  mind  pro- 
jected the  figure  before  the  eye,  just  as  in 
dreams,  but  we  now  know  there  must  have  been 
some  painful  experience  to  cause  the  mind  to 
play  such  tricks.  And  it  was  easy  to  find  that 
there  was  something  underneath.  Analysis 
brought  out  the  story  of  a  nurse  who  would 
put  the  child  to  bed,  and  to  insure  her  own  un- 
disturbed evening,  assured  the  child  as  she  low- 
ered the  window  from  the  top,  that  if  she  made 
141 


The  Relief  op  Pain 

any  noise  a  black  goblin  would  come  in.  The 
impression  was  so  deep  that  she  had  been  see- 
ing black  goblins  all  her  life. 

The  cases  I  have  described  will  serve  to  show 
what  psychoanalysis  is  and  what  it  may 
achieve.  It  will  be  evident  too  that  we  have 
an  important  by-product,  the  importance  of 
protecting  children's  minds  from  impressions 
that  may  do  inconceivable  harm,  from  influences 
which  in  later  life  may  develop  serious  psycho- 
pathic disorders.  For  it  is  not  too  broad  a 
generalization  to  say  that  all  phobias,  obses- 
sions, and  compulsive  ideas  are  primarily  due 
to  a  mental  shock  received  in  the  plastic  stage 
of  childliood.  We  are  wont  to  laugh  at  chil- 
dren's fears,  or  ignorantly  to  humor  them.  It 
is  plain  that  we  ought  to  study  them,  get  to  the 
very  bottom  of  them,  and  relieve  them. 

C.  Sleep  Walking  and  Dreams 
Psychoanalysis  enables  us  to  understand 
many  phenomena  of  human  life,  even  of  com- 
mon events  in  every-day  life;  and,  further,  it 
makes  it  plain  that  we  act  from  a  definite  pur- 
pose even  when  our  course  seems  clearly  to  be 
142 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

perfectly  aimless.  Take  somnambulism,  a  con- 
dition in  which  a  person  displays  powers  other- 
wise impossible,  such  as  walking  through  a 
pitch-dark  room  without  colliding  with  the  fur- 
niture, or  traversing  narrow  ledges  where  a 
person  in  a  normal  state  would  be  likely  to  fall. 
Now  the  person  who  walks  in  his  sleep  always 
goes  on  a  definite  quest.  He  is  not  rambling 
around  blindly,  but  he  is  seeking  something  that 
is  perfectly  clear  in  his  own  mind.  His  ac- 
tions are  quite  as  purposeful  as  those  of  one 
who  wakes  from  the  cold  and  gets  up  to  pro- 
cure more  covers.  By  the  application  of  men- 
tal analysis,  it  is  possible  to  ascertain  what  the 
purpose  is,  and  we  usually  find  that  he  invaria- 
bly sets  out  on  the  quest  for  the  same  thing. 
The  sleeper  may  walk  many  nights  and  he  may 
travel  in  many  directions,  but  his  object  is  al- 
ways the  same.  In  a  case  I  worked  out  a  boy 
who  was  a  sleep  walker,  always  began  with  a 
dream  that  he  had  fallen,  and  then  actually 
arose  from  bed  and  started  off  to  secure  aid 
and  comfort. 

The   results   of  psychoanalysis  receive   em- 
phatic justification  from  experiments  that  have 
143 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

been  made  by  hypnotists.  Suppose  we  have 
a  good  subject  in  a  deep  state  of  hypnosis,  and 
tell  him  that  at  exactly  twelve  o'clock  at  night 
he  will  awaken,  get  up  and  dress,  and  go  to  a 
certain  street  and  number,  open  the  door  and 
with  his  handkerchief  carefully  clean  the  in- 
side of  the  door  knob ;  we  further  tell  him  that 
consciously  he  will  not  remember  the  command 
that  has  been  given  to  him.  We  put  ourselves 
in  a  position  to  see  the  suggestion  carried  out 
— and  it  is  easy  with  a  good  subject  to  get  such 
a  suggestion  carried  out — and  as  the  action  is 
completed,  we  ask  the  now  wide  awake  and  con- 
scious subject  the  reason  for  his  absurd  deed. 
It  is  certain  that  he  will  not  have  the  remotest 
idea  of  the  true  compelling  force  which  has  led 
to  the  strange  act,  and,  as  in  the  morbid  fears 
I  have  explained,  will  proceed  to  invent  the 
most  plausible  reason  that  he  can  think  of.  I 
take  this  hypothetical  case  rather  than  similar 
ones  that  have  actually  occurred,  because  the 
action  is  substantially  what  a  psychasthenic 
actually  did  under  the  influence  of  a  compulsive 
idea  originating  in  his  own  mind.  "  Many  peo- 
ple have  been,  so  to  speak,  hji^notized  and  exe- 
144 


By  Meijttal  Suggestion 

cute  all  their  lives  the  mischievous  suggestions 
which  in  one  way  and  another  have  taken  root 
in  the  mind. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  common  way  of  search- 
ing for  the  trauma,  the  forgotten  shock  which 
started  a  psychic  disturbance.  Of  late  years  a 
good  deal  of  emphasis  has  been  laid  upon  an- 
other method  of  reaching  the  secret  impulses, 
that  is  by  the  interpretation  of  dreams.  Most 
people  laugh  at  the  idea  that  dreams  have  any 
significance,  and  indeed  they  do  seem  to  be 
wholly  fanciful  and  meaningless.  Yet  a  care- 
ful study  does  tend  to  establish  the  conclusion 
that  every  dream  has  a  definite  meaning,  and 
a  meaning  the  knowledge  of  which  may  be  of 
great  importance  to  the  dreamer.  It  is  inter- 
esting certainly  to  see  that  a  modern  science  is 
taking  us  back  to  the  contention  of  primitive 
man  to  whom  the  dream  was  full  of  significance. 
In  the  Bible  there  are  very  many  stories  in 
which  the  dream  figures,  and  in  every  case  there 
is  the  belief  that  the  dream  is  the  means  by 
which  God  reveals  his  purpose  to  the  dreamer. 
The  modern  psychoanalyst  insists  no  less 
stoutly  that  the  dream  is  a  revelation,  not, 
145 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

however,  of  something  external  to  the  dreamer, 
but  of  forces  at  work  within  his  own  brain. 
The  ancients  recognized  the  difficulty  of  inter- 
pretation, and  the  moderns  must  agree  with 
their  conclusion.  This  difficulty  stands  in  the 
way  of  one  who  would  use  the  dream  as  a  source 
of  information;  nevertheless  our  dreams  prob- 
ably do  reveal  some  of  the  profoundest  secrets 
of  the  mind,  or  rather  will,  if  we  are  able  to 
understand  them  correctly. 

The  greatest  contribution  to  the  subject  of 
dreams  has  been  made  by  Freud,^  but  it  is  to 
be  feared  that  he  has  solved  the  riddle  too 
easily,  or  at  all  events  has  told  only  half  the 
story.  His  conclusion  is  that  every  dream  rep- 
resents the  fulfillment  of  a  wish.  Frequently 
that  seems  to  be  the  case.^  We  realize  in  a 
dream,  often  in  a  highly  symbolized  form,  the 
unattained  aspirations  of  waking  life.  We  may 
easily  see  the  analogy  in  the  similar  phe- 
nomenon of  the  day  dream.  In  a  deep  reverie 
the  mind  paints  many  pictures,  and  yet  a  study 
of  our  musing  will  often  show  that  we  are  at- 

^  Interpretation  of  Dreams,  translated  by  Brill. 

^  Somnambulism,  as  we  have  seen,  shows  the  wish  motive. 

146 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

taining  certain  intense  longings;  the  poor  man 
reaches  wealth,  the  obscure  but  ambitious  man 
fame,  and  the  sick  man  health. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  the  day  dream  the 
wandering  mind  often  carries  us  to  conditions 
we  dread,  and  so,  I  am  convinced,  does  the 
sleeping  dream.  Fear  as  well  as  desire  may  be 
the  motive  of  the  dream,  and  my  studies  have 
led  me  to  believe  that  fear  is  by  far  the  most 
important  motive,  even  though  it  be  less  com- 
mon. At  all  events  I  am  sure  that  fear  is  the 
underlying  force  which  occasions  nightmares, 
and  the  nightmare  discloses  a  mental  state  that 
requires  prompt  and  careful  attention.  A  per- 
son suffering  the  agonies  of  the  nightmare  is 
not  indulging  in  a  wild  flight  of  a  morbid  imag- 
ination, nor  is  he  paying  the  dire  penalty  of 
a  heavy  meal,  but  is  living  over  again  some 
terrifying  experience  of  waking  life.  The  same 
sort  of  shocks  which  we  have  seen  to  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  development  of  psychopathic 
diseases  will  produce  nightmares.  A  person 
who  had  never  been  frightened  could  never  be 
the  victim  of  a  phobia,  and  could  never  have  a 
nightmare.  And  the  nightmare  is  important 
147 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

because  it  shows  that  the  shock  is  still  a  living 
force  in  the  subconscious  mind,  and  if  it  has  not 
yet  wrought  mischief,  is  ready  to  do  so  as  occa- 
sion may  arise. 

D.  The  Sexual  Element 
This  whole  subject  of  psychoanalysis  is  in 
danger  of  disrepute  because  of  a  contention  in 
regard  to  which  I  must  say  a  word  of  caution. 
The  scientific  world  owes  a  considerable  debt 
to  Sigmund  Freud  for  his  discoveries  in  abnor- 
mal psychology,  but  we  must  be  on  our  guard 
against  the  too  eager  acceptance  of  his  funda- 
mental hypothesis.  For  Freud  has  reached 
the  conclusion  that  the  trauma  in  practically  all 
nervous  and  mental  disorders  is  of  a  sexual 
nature.  He  broadens  the  sexual  field,  it  is  true, 
till  it  covers  almost  all  of  life,  and  he  carries 
the  sexual  motive  back  to  a  stage  of  infancy  in 
which  I  believe  the  child  is  essentially  as  sex- 
less as  a  plant.  Unfortunately  Freud  has 
many  followers,  who  practice  the  sex  cult  to 
the  limit,  and  it  is  feared  that  much  harm  may 
result.  The  world  has  indeed  suffered  much 
agony  and  committed  much  sin  as  the  result  of 
148 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

a  mistakenly  enforced  ignorance  of  the  func- 
tions of  sex.  But  if  we  are  forced  to  choose,  it 
is  better  to  suffer  from  ignorance  than  from 
false  knowledge.  The  verdict  that  the  hysteric 
or  other  nervous  sufferer  is  necessarily  paying 
the  penalty  of  sexual  mistakes  or  vices  is  false 
knowledge.  "We  may  well  use  Freud's  meth- 
ods, but  we  must  be  wary  of  accepting  his  con- 
clusions. 

Normal  Development  and  Self -help 

It  will  be  clear  now  that  in  a  fine  passage  in 
his  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  St.  Paul  was  de- 
scribing the  normal  course  of  an  individual's 
development.^  As  one  passes  from  childhood 
to  manhood  normally  one  leaves  behind  childish 
thoughts  and  feelings  and  above  all  childish 
fears.  That  course  makes  for  stable  nerves 
and  mental  soundness  in  adult  life.  But  it 
often  happens  that  the  putting  away  is  illusory, 
for  the  childish  fears  are  only  repressed  and 
buried,  and  may  rise  again  to  plague  their  pos- 
sessor.   When  an  unfortunate  finds  himself  in 

1  "When  I  was  a  cbild,  I  spake  as  a  child,  I  felt  as  a  child, 
I  thought  as  a  child :  now  that  I  am  become  a  man,  I  have 
put  away  childish  things." — 1  Cor.  13:11. 

149 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

this  state  he  is  apt  to  feel  a  keen  humiliation, 
like  the  grown  boy  caught  playing  with  the  dis- 
carded toys  of  infancy.  The  ideas  which  run 
away  with  him  seem  to  him  childish  in  the  ex- 
treme. Perhaps  for  that  reason  he  resents  the 
true  explanation  of  his  trouble.  He  seems  to 
feel  that  he  may  have  a  just  pride  in  ailments 
as  long  as  he  is  convinced  that  the  basis  is  phys- 
ical, but  he  is  incensed  at  the  intimation  that 
the  cause  of  his  trouble  lies  in  the  mind  rather 
than  in  the  body.  Therefore  he  contrives  a 
course  of  treatment  that  can  never  reach  the 
disorder,  but  it  satisfies  his  materialistic  con- 
victions. 

When  a  person  does  recognize  the  true  char- 
acter of  his  disorder,  he  often  feels  chagrined 
because  he  cannot  do  all  that  is  necessary  him- 
self. He  is  loath  to  seek  aid,  for  it  appears  to 
him  to  be  a  confession  of  weakness.  If  the 
trouble  lies  in  the  working  of  the  mind,  it  seems 
as  if  he  ought  to  be  able  to  find  and  apply  the 
remedy  himself.  Many  sufferers  shrink  from 
applying  for  the  help  they  need  from  a  sense 
of  shame. 

This  feeling  comes  from  a  wrong  conception 
150 


By  JMental  Suggestion 

of  the  trouble.  On  the  face  of  it,  it  seems  un- 
reasonable that  one  should  without  scruple  seek 
professional  advice  for  an  ailment  in  the  body 
and  be  ashamed  to  seek  help  when  the  trouble 
is  in  the  mind.  Surely  the  difficulties  which  be- 
set the  mind  are  not  less  than  those  which  beset 
the  body;  the  mind  is  not  less  complex  than  the 
body ;  the  mind  certainly  should  have  as  skillful 
care  as  the  body. 

The  nervous  sufferer  under  the  best  of  con- 
ditions must  do  much  for  himself.  The  pscho- 
therapeutist  cannot  absolve  his  patient  from 
effort  as  much  as  the  physician  can.  The  lat- 
ter often  needs  demand  no  more  than  taking 
unpalatable  drugs  and  a  little  self-denial  in 
diet.  Indeed,  he  often  can  give  the  weary  the 
welcome  advice  to  go  to  bed.  The  former, 
though,  must  often  urge  the  unwelcome  coun- 
sel to  get  out  of  bed,  to  do  the  very  things  he 
dreads  to  do  and  seems  unable  to  do.  In  fact, 
the  process  of  cure  is  often  a  long  and  hard 
struggle  against  heavy  odds.  The  one  who 
fights  most  bravely  is  the  one  most  easily  cured. 
But  the  bravest  soldier  is  most  effective  under 
the  guidance  of  a  capable  officer. 
151 


The  Eeleep  of  Pain 

Qualifications  of  the  Healer 

It  remains  finally  to  speak  of  the  qualifica- 
tions requisite  for  the  successful  use  of  psycho- 
therapy. I  take  up  this  subject  with  great  hu- 
mility, but  I  can  do  it  sincerely  for  in  part  at 
least  the  requirements  are  what  I  seek  rather 
than  what  I  seem  to  possess.  I  speak  the  more 
gladly,  though,  because  I  shall  only  need  to 
name  characteristics  that  are  within  the  reach 
of  all  clergymen,  and,  for  that  matter,  of  many 
other  people.  Of  course,  there  are  desirable 
qualifications  with  which  one  must  be  born,  but 
the  essential  ones  may  be  acquired. 

The  first  point  I  would  urge  is  an  adequate 
knowledge  of  the  subject.  This  requirement  is 
so  self-evident  that  I  would  not  mention  it  at 
all,  were  there  not  such  a  quantity  of  would-be- 
healers  who  are  ignorant  of  the  simplest  rudi- 
ments of  psychology,  normal  or  abnormal.  To 
get  the  necessary  knowledge  there  are  now  tons 
of  books,  many  of  them  excellent,  and  nearly  all 
useful  if  read  with  discrimination.  Then  it  is 
important  to  study  human  nature.  We  miss 
golden  opportunities  when  we  fail  to  try  to  un- 
152 


By  Mental  Suggestion 

derstand  the  people  with  whom  we  are  in  daily 
contact;  and  especially  those  who  are  in  any 
way  abnormal.  It  is  like  being  in  a  great  mu- 
seum with  our  eyes  shut,  or  standing  with  our 
back  to  a  glorious  sunset.  Perhaps  there  is  re- 
vealed one  of  our  Lord's  chief  assets  when  we 
are  told  that  he  himself  knew  what  was  in  man. 

Secondly,  we  need  to  increase  our  store  of 
sympathy.  I  do  not  mean  a  mere  bland  senti- 
ment; I  mean  such  an  understanding  of  our 
patient's  fears  or  feelings  or  pain  that  we  can 
fairly  feel  them.  The  sympathetic  person  can 
easily  get  another's  point  of  view,  and  we  have 
got  to  see  with  his  eyes  and  hear  with  his  ears 
and  feel  with  his  feelings  if  we  are  going  to  be 
of  any  use  to  him.  Here  too  we  have  the  ex- 
ample of  our  Lord  as  an  inspiration;  one  of 
the  reasons  he  could  heal  the  sick  is,  as  we  are 
repeatedly  reminded  in  the  gospels,  that  he  had 
compassion  on  them. 

In  the  third  place,  the  greater  one's  confi- 
dence the  surer  is  one's  success.  We  must 
make  sure  that  we  have  an  effective  force  for 
lightening  the  world's  woes,  and  then  we  must 
set  about  our  task  with  a  step  that  never  falters. 
153 


The  Relief  op  Pain 

The  faith  which  our  Lord  demanded  of  his  dis- 
ciples long  ago  he  must  find  in  his  disciples  to- 
day. 

Finally,  he  must  have  a  personality  which  in- 
spires confidence.  That  may  seem  to  be  a  large 
order ;  that  may  seem  to  be  a  quality  with  which 
one  might  be  born,  or  else  must  get  along  with- 
out. Doubtless  there  is  some  truth  in  that  con- 
tention; but  I  am  sure  that  the  quality  can  to 
a  very  useful  degree  be  cultivated.  At  all 
events  it  is  a  prime  necessity  for  any  one  who 
would  help  his  fellows  in  any  way.  I  do  not 
mean  that  the  healer  should  aim  to  inspire  con- 
fidence in  himself.  The  faith  will  be  a  poor 
thing  if  it  does  not  include  more  than  that. 
Sometimes  it  is  very  humble  faith  which  needs 
to  be  aroused.  It  may  sometimes  be  no  more 
romantic  than  faith  that  the  hand  can  hold  a 
pen;  but  in  its  larger  aspect  it  is  a  faith  in  a 
good  God,  loving  all  His  creatures  and  ever 
working  for  their  welfare. 


154 


THE  JOHN  BOHLEN  LECTUEESHIP 

JOHN  BOHLEN,  who  died  in  Philadelphia 
on  the  26th  day  of  April,  1874,  bequeathed 
to  trustees  a  fund  of  One  Hundred  Thousand 
Dollars,  to  be  distributed  to  religious  and  chari- 
table objects  in  accordance  with  the  well-known 
wishes  of  the  testator. 

By  a  deed  of  trust,  executed  June  2,  1875,  the 
trustees,  under  the  will  of  Mr.  Bohlen,  trans- 
ferred and  paid  over  to  "The  Rector,  Church 
Wardens,  and  Vestrymen  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Trinity,  Philadelphia,"  in  trust,  a  sum  of 
money  for  certain  designated  purposes,  out  of 
which  fund  the  sum  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars 
was  set  apart  for  the  endowment  of  "The  John 
Bohlen  Lectureship,"  upon  the  following  terms 
and  conditions : 

"The  money  shall  be  invested  in  good  sub- 
stantial and  safe  securities,  and  held  in  trust  for 
a  fund  to  be  called  The  John  Bohlen  Lecture- 
ship, and  the  income  shall  be  applied  annually 
155 


The  Relief  of  Pain 

to  the  payment  of  a  qualified  person,  whether 
clergyman  or  layman,  for  the  delivery  and  pub- 
lication of  at  least  one  hundred  copies  of  two 
or  more  lecture  sermons.  These  lectures  shall 
be  delivered  at  such  time  and  place,  in  the  city 
of  Philadelphia,  as  the  persons  nominated  to  ap- 
point the  lecturer  shall  from  time  to  time  deter- 
mine, giving  at  least  six  months'  notice  to  the 
person  appointed  to  deliver  the  same,  when  the 
same  may  conveniently  be  done,  and  in  no  case 
selecting  the  same  person  as  lecturer  a  second 
time  within  a  period  of  five  years.  The  pay- 
ment shall  be  made  to  said  lecturer,  after  the 
lectures  have  been  printed  and  received  by  the 
trustees,  of  all  the  income  for  the  year  derived 
from  said  fund,  after  defraying  the  expense  of 
printing  the  lectures  and  the  other  incidental 
expenses  attending  the  same. 

"The  subject  of  such  lectures  shall  be  such  as 
is  within  the  terms  set  forth  in  the  will  of  the 
Eev.  John  Bampton,  for  the  delivery  of  what 
are  known  as  the  'Bampton  Lectures,'  at  Ox- 
ford, or  any  other  subject  distinctively  con- 
nected with  or  relating  to  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion. 

156 


By  Mental  Suggestion 
' '  Tlie  lecturer  shall  be  appointed  annually  in 
the  month  of  May,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  can 
conveniently  be  done,  by  the  persons  who  for 
the  time  being  shall  hold  the  offices  of  Bishop 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  the  Dio- 
cese in  which  is  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity ; 
the  Rector  of  said  Church ;  the  Professor  of 
Biblical  Learning,  the  Professor  of  Systematic 
Divinity,  and  the  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical 
History,  in  the  Divinity  School  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  in  Philadelphia. 

"In  case  either  of  said  offices  are  vacant,  the 
others  may  nominate  the  lecturer." 

Under  this  trust  the  Eeverend  Dr.  Loring  W. 
Batten  was  appointed  to  deliver  the  lectures  for 
the  year  1916. 


157 


ETURN      BIOLOGY  LIBRARY  ..09^11 

Q       I       3503  Life  Sciences  BIda.     bAl-Zb6\ 


ni  IF  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


.  _-||  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 

FORM  NO.  DD4.  12m,  12/80        BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


f^ 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


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